t  UNIVERSITY 

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''J  IAN,  SERIES 
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'1  COLLECTIO 

n) 

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• 

A  CATALOGUE 

OF  A  COLLECTION  OF 

PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 
INDO  IRANIAN  SERIES 


EDITED  BY 

A.  V.  WILLIAMS  JACKSON 

PROFESSOR  OF  INDO-IRANIAN  LANGUAGES 
IN  COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 


Volume  1 

For  volumes  previously  published 
see  page  iv 


Nein  Jjcrrit 

COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
1914 

All  rights  reserved 


A  CATALOGUE 

OF  THE  COLLECTION  OF 

PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 

INCLUDING  ALSO  SOME  TURKISH  AND  ARABIC 
PRESENTED  TO  THE 

METROPOLITAN  MUSEUM  OF  ART 
NEW  YORK 

BY 

ALEXANDER  SMITH  COCHRAN 

PREPARED  AND  EDITED  BY 
A.  V.  WILLIAMS  JACKSON 

PROFESSOR  OF  INDO-IRANIAN  LANGUAGES 
AND 

ABRAHAM  YOHANNAN 

LECTURER  IN  ORIENTAL  LANGUAGES,  COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 
1914 

All  rights  reserved 


Bibliographical  Note 


Seven  volumes  of  the  Indo-Iranian  Series  have 
been  previously  published  (volumes  2-8, 1901-1913; 
see  the  announcement  following  page  187).  As  the 
Sanskrit  Grammar  for  Beginners,  heretofore  an- 
nounced as  the  first  volume  of  the  Series,  is  not  yet 
ready  for  publication  (though  nearly  complete  in 
manuscript),  the  present  work  is,  for  general  con- 
venience, issued  as  Volume  i  in  its  stead. 


Copyright,  1914, 
By  COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.   Printed  February,  191 4. 


J.  S.  Gushing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


iv 


PREFACE 


The  preparation  of  this  catalogue  has  been  a  pleasant  task 
during  the  past  two  years,  though  the  appearance  of  the  work 
has  been  considerably  delayed  by  the  many  exactions  of  univer- 
sity duties.  The  plan  followed  in  describing  the  manuscripts 
was  originally  adopted  in  conference  with  Mr.  Cochran  while 
he  was  collecting  them  for  his  own  library,  and  now  that  he 
has  presented  the  collection  to  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art  in  New  York  City  in  order  to  make  it  accessible  to  the 
public,  the  plan  then  designed  seems  equally  suitable  for  the 
purpose  of  the  general  exhibition  of  the  collection. 

The  descriptive  method,  thus  chosen,  has  kept  several  ob- 
jects in  view.  By  the  side  of  technical  matters  for  the  infor- 
mation of  Oriental  specialists,  particular  attention  has  been 
paid  to  the  art  side  of  the  collection,  so  as  to  convey  some 
idea  of  the  illuminations,  miniatures,  bindings,  and  the  like, 
in  addition  to  matters  of  literary  interest,  details  of  historic 
import,  or  items  of  a  personal  nature  regarding  the  individual 
owners  of  the  copies  in  generations  long  past,  as  gathered  from 
the  Oriental  seals  and  memorandums.  It  would  seem  that  no 
serious  objection  could  be  raised  critically  to  the  fulness  with 
which  such  matters  are  recorded  in  the  pages  that  follow. 

To  the  generous  donor  who  made  the  manuscripts  accessible 
to  the  public  and  available  to  scholars  that  may  wish  to  con- 
sult them  in  future,  a  special  acknowledgment  is  due.  Beyond 
that,  a  personal  expression  of  thanks  is  owing  to  him  for  the 
constant  interest  that  he  has  shown,  in  every  possible  manner, 

V 


vi 


PREFACE 


in  the  preparation^  and  publication  of  the  catalogue.  Without 
his  aid  the  volume  could  not  have  appeared  in  the  Columbia 
University  Indo-Iranian  Series. 

Words  of  appreciation  are  likewise  due  to  Mr.  Frederic  W. 
Erb,  Mr.  Frank  Erb,  and  Miss  Adele  Erb,  of  the  Library  Staff 
at  Columbia,  as  well  as  to  the  Librarian  of  the  University, 
Dr.  W.  Dawson  Johnston,  for  obliging  assistance  in  connection 
with  the  handling  of  the  manuscripts  during  the  year  and  a  half 
that  they  were  deposited  in  the  Columbia  University  Library 
vaults  for  consultation  in  the  preparation  of  this  catalogue.  In 
like  manner  Director  Edward  Robinson  and  his  assistant,  Mr. 
Henry  W.  Kent,  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum,  together  with 
Curator  W.  R.  Valentiner  and  Mr.  D.  Friedley,  have  been  equally 
kind  in  granting  every  possible  facility  in  consulting  the  codexes 
since  they  have  been  on  public  exhibition  in  the  Persian  room 
at  the  Museum.  Nor  is  to  be  forgotten  the  help  they  gave 
while  the  illustrative  plates  were  being  prepared,  so  as  to  convey 
an  idea  of  some  of  the  miniatures  that  adorn  the  collection. 

Among  other  friends  who  gladly  lent  aid  may  be  mentioned 
Professor  Richard  Gottheil,  of  Columbia  University,  who  gave 
assistance  in  connection  with  certain  points  relating  to  the 
Qur'an  and  other  important  matters.  As  to  valued  suggestions 
concerning  the  character  and  quality  of  the  paper  in  the  different 
manuscripts,  acknowledgment  is  also  made  to  Mr.  Douglas  C. 
McMurtrie,  of  New  York.  There  is  an  appropriate  opportunity 
here,  furthermore,  to  thank  Miss  Susan  Yohannan  and  Miss 
Cassandra  Yohannan  for  their  untiring  work  in  copying  and  re- 
copying  each  section  of  the  book  as  it  was  being  prepared  for 
the  press. 

Last  but  not  least,  that  friend,  student,  and  faithful  helper. 
Dr.  George  C.  O.  Haas,  sometime  Fellow  in  Indo-Iranian  Lan- 
guages at  Columbia  and  now  Instructor  in  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  deserves  a  very  special  acknowledgment; 
he  not  only  prepared  the  Index  to  this  work,  but  also  gave 


PREFACE 


vii 


readily,  as  usual,  his  technical  advice  in  all  matters  relating  to  the 
make-up  of  the  volume  and  his  skilled  service  in  reading  every 
revise  of  the  proofsheets,  to  supplement  the  care  bestowed  by  the 
readers  of  the  Norwood  Press. 

To  each  and  all  of  these  willing  helpers  most  hearty  thanks 
are  expressed  anew. 

A.  V.  WILLIAMS  JACKSON, 
ABRAHAM  YOHANNAN. 

Columbia  University, 
July  I,  1913. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Preface    v 

List  of  Illustrations   xi 

List  of  Works  of  Reference   xii 

List  of  Abbreviations   xv 

Introduction   xvii 

Persian  Manuscripts  : 

I.    Firdausi   5 

Ms.  No.  I.    Shah-namah  (1587-1588  a.d.)      .  8 

Ms.  No.  2.    Shah-namah  (1602  A.D.)       .       .  14 

Ms.  No.  3.    Shah-namah  (1605-1608  a.d.)      .  20 

Ms.  No.  4.    Shah-namah  (1663-1669  a.d.)      .  28 

Ms.  No.  5.    Shah-namah  ( 1 6th- 1 7th  cent.)      .  38 

II.    Nizami        ........  47 

Ms.  No.  6.    Khamsah  (1449-1450  a.d.)    .       .  49 

Ms.  No.  7.    Khamsah  (1509-15 10  A.D.)   .       .  53 

Ms.  No.  8.  Khamsah  (1525  A.D.)  ...  58 
Ms.  No.  0.    Khamsah   (middle    of    the  i6th 

cent.)   67 

Ms.  No.  10.    Haft  Paikar  (i6th  cent.)     .       .  71 
Ms.  No.~ii.    A  Persian  Anthology — Nizami 
abridged ;  Selections  also  from  other  well- 
known  Persian  writers  (19th  cent.)    .       .  79 

III.    Jalal  ad-Din  Rumi   93 

Ms.  No.  12.    Masnawi  (1489  A.D.)   ...  95 

ix 


X 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

IV.    Sa'di   loi 

Ms.  No.  13.    Kulliyyat  (middle  of  the  i6th 

cent.)      .   102 

Ms.  No.  14.    Bustan  (2d  quarter  of  the  17th 

cent.)  .  108 

V.    Amir  Khusrau  of  Delhi   119 

Ms.  No.  15.    Khamsah  (latter  half  of  the 

17th  cent.)   120 

VI.    Hafiz   127 

Ms.  No.  16.    Diwan  (iSth-igth  cent.)  .       .  129 

VII.    Jami   139 

Ms.  No.  17.  Diwan  (c,  1470  a.d.)  .  .  140 
Ms.  No.  18.    Yusuf    and    Zulaikha  (1523- 

1524  A.D.)   145 

Ms.  No.  19.    Yusuf  and  Zulaikha  (c.  1550 

A.D.)   148 

Ms.  No.  20.    Haft  Aurang  (middle  of  the 

1 8th  cent.)   151 

Turkish  Manuscripts: 

VIII.    Mir 'Ali  Shir  Nawa'i  .       .       .      .       .  .159 

Ms.  No.  21.    A  Diwan  (1499-1500  a.d.)      .  160 

Ms.  No.  22.    Second  Diwan  (1580  a.d.)      .  164 

Arabic  Manuscripts  : 

IX.    Qur'an   171 

Mss.  Nos.  23-24.    Copy  of  the  Qur'an  in 

two  volumes  (1427  A.D.)  .       .      .       .  172 

Index      .      .      .   '                                          .  i79 

List  of  Scribes  and  Artists   187 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


1.  Faridun's  Grief  at  the  Murder  of  his  Son  Iraj  39 

Painting  by  /Ali  Naqi,  Ms.  No.  4,  fol.  24^. 

2.  Naufal,  the  Arab  Chieftain,  championing  the 

Cause  of  Majnun  54 

Ms.  No.  7,  fol.  130^. 

3.  King  Khusrau  seated  on  his  Throne  .       .  .57 

Painting  by  Mirak,  Ms.  No.  8,  fol.  64a. 

4.  King  Khusrau  and  his  Bride  Shirin    .       .  .61 

Painting  by  Mirak,  Ms.  No.  8,  fol.  104^. 

5.  Bahram  Gur  in  the  Sandal  Palace     ...  64 

Painting  by  Mirak,  Ms.  No.  8,  fol.  230^. 

6.  Alexander  receiving  Booty  on  the  Day  of  Battle  68 

Painting  by  Mirak,  Ms.  No.  8,  fol.  321^. 

7.  Recitation  of  Poems  to  the  Accompaniment  of 

Music  103 

Ms.  No.  12,  fol.  172^?:. 

8.  Bahram  Gur  in  the  Red  Palace  .       .       .  .118 

Ms.  No.  15,  fol.  159^?. 

9.  Embellished  Introductory  Page  (*Unwan)  .       .  148 

Ms.  No.  18,  fol.  2a. 

10.  Ornate  Lacquer  Binding  157 

Ms.  No.  21,  outside  of  cover. 

11.  Lacquer  Painting  on  a  Manuscript  Cover  .  .160 

Ms.  No.  21,  inside  of  back  cover. 

12.  A  King  listening  to  a  Court  Poet     .       .  .173 

Ms.  No.  21,  fol.  sia. 

13.  Arabic  Memorandum' in  the  Handwriting  of  the 

Mughal  Emperor  Aurangzib  .       .       .  .176 
Ms.  No.  24,  fol.  268^. 

xi 


LIST  OF  WORKS  OF  REFERENCE 


This  list  includes  the  works  most  often  cited,  together  with  those  that  may 
profitably  be  consulted  in  connection  with  this  catalogue.  Details  regarding  other 
books  and  papers  are  given  in  the  body  of  the  work. 

Anur  Khusrau  of  Delhi.    For  bibliographical  references  see  Ethe, 
Neupersische  Litteratur,  in  Grundriss  der  iranischen  Philologiej 

2.  245. 

Beale,  T.  W.   Oriental  Biographical  Dictionary.    New  ed.,  London, 
1894. 

Blochet,  E.   Les  Ecoles  de  peinture  en  Perse.    In  Revue  archiologique, 

4.  ser.  6.  1 21-148,  Paris,  1905. 
 Les  Miniaturistes  des  manuscrits  musulmans.    In  Gazette  des 

beaux-arts,  39.  annee,  3.  periode,  17.  281-296;  18.  104-118,  Paris, 

1897. 

 Les  Origines  de  la  peinture  en  Perse.    In  Gazette  des  heaux-arts, 

47.  annee,  3.  periode,  34.  115-130,  Paris,  1905. 
 Peintures  de  manuscrits  arabes,  persans  et  turcs  de  la  Biblio- 

theque  Nationale.    Paris,  [19 11]. 
Browne,  Edward  G.    A  Literary  History  of  Persia.    2  vols.,  London 

and  New  York,  1902,  1906. 
 Catalogue  of  the  Persian  Manuscripts  in  the  Library  of  the 

University  of  Cambridge.    Cambridge,  1896. 
D^Allemagne,  Henry-Rene.    Du  Khorassan  au  pays  des  Backhtiaris : 

compte  rendu.    Paris,  191 1. 
Elliot,  Sir  H.  M.    The  History  of  India  as  told  by  its  own  Historians : 

the  Muhammadan  Period.    Edited  by  Professor  John  Dowson. 

8  vols.,  London,  1867-1877. 
Ethe,  Hermann.    Neupersische  Litteratur.    In  Grundriss  der  iran- 
ischen Philologie,  2.  212-368,  Strassburg,  1896-1904. 
Firdausi.    Firdusii  Liber  Regum  qui  inscribitur  Shah  Name,  ed. 

J.  A.  Vullers  (et  S.  Landauer).    3  vols.,  Leiden,  1877-1884. 

xii 


LIST  OF  WORKS  OF  REFERENCE 


xiii 


 The  Shahnama  of  Firdausi,  done  into  English  by  A.  G.  and 

E.  Warner.    Vols.  i-6,  London,  1905-1912. 
 Le  Livre  des  rois,  traduit  et  commente  par  Jules  Mohl.    7  vols., 

Paris,  1876-1878. 

 II  Libro  dei  re,  poema  epico,  recato  dal  persiano  in  versi  italiani 

da  Italo  Pizzi.    8  vols.,  Turin,  1886-1888. 
Gayet,  A.  J.   L'Art  persan.    Paris,  1895. 

Grundriss  der  iranischen  Philologie,  herausgegeben  von  Wilhelm 

Geiger  und  Ernst  Kuhn.    2  vols.,  Strassburg,  1895-1904. 
Hafiz.    See  the  works  referred  to  on  page  128. 

Havell,  E.  B.  Indian  Sculpture  and  Painting  illustrated  by  Typical 
Masterpieces,  with  an  Explanation  of  their  Motives  and  Ideals. 
London,  1908. 

Horn,  Paul.  Geschichte  der  persischen  Litteratur.  Leipzig,  1901. 
Huart,  C.    Les  Calligraphes  et  les  miniaturistes  de  I'Orient  musul- 

man.    Paris,  1908. 
Jalal  ad-Din  Rumi.    See  the  works  referred  to  on  page  94. 
Jami.    See  the  works  referred  to  on  page  139. 

Karabacek,  J.    Uber  das  angebliche  Bilderverbot  des  Islams.  In 

Kunst  und  Gewerbe,  10.  281-283,  289-291,  297-299,  307-308, 

315-317^  332-333-    Nuremberg,  1876. 
Mahler,  Eduard.    Chronologische  Vergleichungstabellen,  nebst  einer 

Anleitung  zu  den  Grundziigen  der  Chronologie.    Vol.  i,  Vienna, 

1889. 

Manucci,  Nicolao.  Storia  do  Mogor,  or  Mogul  India,  translated  by 
G.  W.  Irvine.    4  vols.,  London,  1906. 

<  Martin,  F.  R.  The  Miniature  Painting  and  Painters  of  Persia, 
India,  and  Turkey  from  the  eighth  to  the  eighteenth  Century.  2 
vols.,  London,  191 2.  (This  invaluable  work  became  accessible 
only  after  the  '  copy  '  of  the  present  volume  was  ready  for  the 
press;  information  drawn  from  it  has  been  inclosed  in  angular 
brackets <> to  indicate  its  subsequent  addition.) > 

Mir  'All  Shir  Nawa'i.    See  the  works  referred  to  on  page  159. 

Muqtadir,  M.  A.,  [and  Ross,  E.  D.].  Catalogue  of  the  Arabic  and 
Persian  Manuscripts  in  the  Oriental  Public  Library  at  Bankipore. 
3  vols.,  Calcutta,  1908-1912. 

Nizami.    See  the  works  referred  to  on  page  48. 

Pertsch,  W.  Verzeichniss  der  persischen  Handschriften  der  konig- 
Hchen  Bibliothek  zu  Berlin.    Berlin,  1888. 


xiv 


LIST  OF  WORKS  OF  REFERENCE 


Rieu,  C.  Catalogue  of  the  Persian  Manuscripts  in  the  British  Mu- 
seum.   3  vols.,  London,  1 879-1 883. 

 Supplement  to  the  preceding.    London,  1895. 

 Catalogue  of  the  Turkish  Manuscripts  in  the  British  Museum. 

London,  1888. 

Rumi,  Jalal  ad-Din.    See  the  works  referred  to  on  page  94. 

Sachau,  E.,  and  Ethe,  H.  Catalogue  of  the  Persian,  Turkish,  Hindu- 
stani, and  Pushtu  Manuscripts  in  the  Bodleian  Library.  Part  i, 
Oxford,  1889. 

Sa'di.    See  the  works  referred  to  on  page  loi. 

Saladin,  H.,  et  Migeon,  G.  Manuel  d'Art  musulman.  2  vols.,  Paris, 
1907. 

Sarre,  F.    Riza  'Abbasi,  ein  persischer  Miniaturmaler.    In  Kunst 

und  Kiinstler,  10.  Jahrgang,  Berlin,  1910. 
Sarre,  F.,  und  Martin,  F.  R.    Die  Ausstellung  von  Meisterwerken 

muhammedanischer  Kunst  in  Miinchen,  1910.    3  vols.,  Munich, 

1912. 

Shah-namah.    See  Firdausi. 

<Valentiner,  W.  R.  The  Cochran  Collection  of  Persian  Manuscripts. 
In  Bulletin  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  8.  80-86,  New 
York,  19 13.  (A  brief  announcement  of  the  gift  of  the  collection, 
illustrated  by  three  plates  of  selected  miniatures,  which  are  re- 
produced in  this  volume,  thanks  to  the  courtesy  of  the  Museum 
authorities.)  > 


LIST  OF  ABBREVIATIONS 


A.H.  . 

.    Anno  Hegiracy  Muhammadan  Era. 

Bull.  . 

.  Bulletin. 

c.       .  . 

.    circa^  about. 

Cat.  .  . 

.  Catalogue. 

ch.  . 

.  chapter. 

cm.  . 

:    centimeter,  centimeters. 

col.  . 

.  column. 

d. 

.  died. 

cQ. 

cuicioii,  cQiicQ  uy. 

fl.   .  . 

.    .  Jloniity  flourished. 

fol.  . 

.  folio. 

Hss.  . 

.  Handschriften. 

in. 

.    inch,  inches. 

1. 

.  line. 

n. 

.  note. 

op.  cit.  . 

.    opus  citatum,  the  work  previously  cited. 

pi.  . 

.  plate. 

tr. 

.    translation,  translated  by. 

<  >  .  . 

.    Angle  brackets  indicate  that  the  matter  so  in- 

closed  is  based  on  published  material  by 
Martin  or  by  Valentiner  that  became  acces- 
sible after  the  'copy'  of  this  volume  was 
ready  for  the  press. 


XV 


INTRODUCTION 


This  collection  of  Oriental  manuscripts  —  twenty  of  them 
Persian,  two  Eastern  Turkish,  and  two  Arabic  —  was  presented 
to  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  in  March,  1913,  by  Mr. 
Alexander  Smith  Cochran,  of  Yonkers,  New  York.  All  of  the 
codexes  are  handsomely  illuminated  and  are  adorned  with  beau- 
tiful miniatures,  the  entire  collection  containing  much  that  is  of 
interest  to  students  of  art,  literature,  and  history.  A  number  of 
the  manuscripts  are  in  certain  respects  unique.^ 

Mr.  Cochran's  interest  in  Persia  was  first  aroused  by  a  jour- 
ney he  made  through  that  country  six  years  ago  in  company 
with  his  friend,  the  Editor  of  this  volume.  Shortly  after  his 
return  to  New  York  he  enriched  the  Museum  by  the  gift  of  an 
extremely  rare  Persian  rug,  which  may  now  be  seen  displayed  in 
one  of  the  galleries,  not  far  from  the  Morgan  collection  of  paint- 
ings. His  present  donation  of  manuscripts  fills  four  large  cases 
occupying  the  greater  part  of  the  Persian  room  that  adjoins  the 
latter  collection.^ 

^The  general  points  of  this  whole  Introduction,  which  describes  the 
main  features  of  the  collection,  have  previously  appeared  in  an  article  by 
A.  V.  W.  J.  entitled  '  Persian  Manuscripts '  in  The  Nation  (New  York),  96. 
627-628,  June  19,  1913. 

^  Prior  to  this  gift  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  possessed  only  one 
Persian  manuscript,  a  copy  of  Sa'di's  Bustdn,  together  with  a  selected  collec- 
tion of  manuscript  pages  with  ornamental  borders,  as  specimens  of  Persian 
decorative  art,  and  a  number  of  single-leaf  paintings,  not  from  manuscripts, 
by  the  artists  Sultan  Muhammad,  Rida  'Abbasi,  and  Qasim. 

The  manuscript  of  the  Bustan  is  a  fine  copy,  comprising  139  folios  and 

xvii 


xviii 


INTRODUCTION 


Persian  illuminated  manuscripts  are  growing  rarer  every 
year,  as  connoisseurs  and  collectors  well  know,  and  are  ever  in- 
creasing in  value  because  of  the  exquisite  miniatures  with  which 
the  finer  ones  are  adorned.  In  this  realm  and  in  the  line  of  ar- 
tistic embellishment  Persia  was  able,  four  and  five  centuries  ago, 
to  produce  specimens  of  art  that  have  never  been  equaled  else- 
where in  their  particular  way.  The  Persian  scribes,  moreover, 
were  unrivaled  masters  of  calligraphy,  because  the  art  of  beau- 
tiful handwriting  was  cultivated  as  one  of  the  highest  of  refined 
accomplishments.  The  bindings,  likewise,  in  which  the  Per- 
sians chose  to  clothe  the  work  of  their  best  writers  were  often 
masterpieces  of  workmanship. 

It  is  true  that  for  a  time  Persia  had  to  borrow  from  China 
certain  elements,  including  grace  of  line  and  other  features,  that 
were  to  be  developed  further  with  subtle  skill  by  Mongol  artists 
in  Transoxiana  and  Turkistan ;  but  she  made  all  of  these  her 
special  property  in  the  realm  of  art.    She  was  prepared  in  turn 

embellished  by  five  full-page  miniatures  in  addition  to  other  rich  ornamen- 
tations. The  copy  has  a  partly  obliterated  colophon  in  two  lines.  In  this 
the  name  of  Mir  'All  al-Husaini  can  be  deciphered  with  some  diflSculty  as 
that  of  the  scribe,  the  date  being  given  as  929  (?)  a.h.  =  1522-1523  (?)  a.d. 
This  date  is  fully  corroborated  by  the  general  style  and  especially  by  the 
handwriting  of  the  scribe,  which  appears  to  be  identical  with  the  pen- 
manship of  the  renowned  calligraphist  Mir  *Ali,  who  in  1 523-1 524  a.d. 
transcribed  the  copy  of  Jami's  Yusuf  and  Zulaikhd  in  the  Cochran  collec- 
tion (No.  18,  see  p.  147-148  below),  and  it  is  borne  out  likewise  by  the  style 
of  the  miniatures,  which  may  well  be  attributed  to  Shaikh-zadah  Mahmiid 
of  Khurasan,  chief  artist  at  the  court  of  the  Shaibanid  princes  of  Trans- 
oxiana at  this  period.  <  See  especially  W.  R.  Valentiner,  Bulletin  of  the 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  8.  80,  whose  deductions  are  based  on  Mar- 
,  tin,  The  Miniature  Painting  and  Painters  of  Persia,  India,  and  Turkey, 
I.  55,  116-117,  London,  191 2;  and  compare  Huart,  Les  Calligraphes  et  les 
miniaturistes  de  VOrient  musulman,  p.  331,  Paris,  1908. > 

(Attention  may  be  called  here  to  the  fact  that  the  angular  brackets 
<  >  used  throughout  this  catalogue  indicate  matter  included  from,  or 
based  upon,  published  material  by  Martin  or  by  Valentiner  that  became 
available  after  the  '  copy '  of  this  volume  was  ready  to  go  to  press.) 


INTRODUCTION 


xix 


to  hand  to  Mughal  India  her  refined  gifts  which  made  the  art- 
ists at  the  courts  of  the  Emperors  Akbar,  Jahangir,  Shah  Jahan, 
and  Aurangzib  the  greatest  portrait  miniaturists  of  the  world. 
The  studies  of  such  scholars  as  the  French  critics  Blochet  and 
Huart,  the  German  authority  Sarre,  and  the  Scandinavian  expert 
Martin,  whose  standard  work  on  the  miniature  paintings  of  Persia, 
India,  and  Turkey  was  pubHshed  a  few  months  ago  in  two 
splendid  volumes,  render  possible  a  truer  judgment  of  the 
worth  of  the  present  fine  collection.  Detailed  references  to  all 
these  works  are  made  in  the  Bibliography  below  and  also  in  the 
body  of  the  volume. 

From  the  standpoint  of  literature,  before  turning  to  the  artis- 
tic side  of  the  collection,  it  may  be  noted  that  this  valuable  body 
of  codexes  represents  the  works  of  the  greatest  Persian  classic 
writers.  There  are  five  different  manuscripts  (Nos.  1-5)  of  the 
famous  epic  of  Firdausi,  who  flourished  about  1000  a.d.  Six 
manuscripts  (Nos.  6-1 1)  contain  the  entire  works  of  Nizami  or 
parts  of  the  writings  of  that  celebrated  romantic  poet  of  Persia, 
who  died  about  the  year  1203.  Next  Jalal  ad-Din  Rumi  (1207 
-1275),  renowned  above  all  in  the  East  as  the  Persian  mystic 
poet,  is  represented  by  a  volume  (No.  12)  copied  two  centuries 
after  his  death  and  well  worthy  of  note.  Then  Sa'di  (about 
1184-1291  A.D.),  the  centenarian  poet  and  moralist  whose  name 
is  certainly  better  known  in  the  Orient  outside  of  his  country 
than  that  of  any  other  Persian  author,  claims  two  fine  illustrated 
and  illuminated  volumes  (Nos.  13-14).  The  Indo-Persian  poet 
Amir  Khusrau  of  Delhi,  who  won  well-deserved  fame  in 
Hindustan  in  the  thirteenth  century  through  his  recastings  of 
Nizami's  romantic  types,  is  represented  by  a  beautiful  little  book 
(No.  15),  dating  from  the  time  of  the  last  of  the  Mughal  em- 
perors and  bearing  witness,  by  its  exquisite  paintings  and  finish, 
to  the  reverence  in  which  this  Persian-Indian  bard  was  held  —  a 
reverence  that  can  best  be  appreciated  by  the  few  Westerners 
who  have  paid  a  visit  to  his  tomb  near  Delhi.    Persia's  far-famed 


XX 


INTRODUCTION 


lyrist  Hafiz,  in  the  fifteenth  century,  one  of  the  great  musical 
poets  in  all  literature,  has  five  hundred  and  more  odes  incor- 
porated in  a  small  manuscript  (No.  i6),  delicately  outlined  by 
ornamental  flowerets  and  adorned  by  small  miniatures  to  illus- 
trate the  subjects  of  the  poems.  The  works  of  Jami,  the  last 
classic  poet  of  Persia,  the  year  of  whose  death  corresponds  with 
the  date  of  the  discovery  of  America,  are  here  in  four  manu- 
scripts (Nos.  17-20),  one  of  which  (No.  17)  is  peculiarly  valuable, 
as  it  belongs  to  Jami's  own  lifetime. 

Outside  the  realm  of  Persian  works,  there  are  two  very  rare 
illuminated  and  illustrated  manuscripts  in  Jaghata'i  Turkish, 
the  language  of  Eastern  Turkistan  (Nos.  21-22).  They  both 
contain  lyric  works  of  the  laureate-minister  and  poet-statesman 
Mir  'All  Shir  Nawa'i,  who  died  in  1501  after  a  renowned  career 
at  the  court  of  Herat  in  Afghanistan  prior  to  the  founding  of 
the  empire  of  the  Mughals  in  Hindustan,  and  whose  fame  lasts 
in  the  East  even  to  the  present  time  through  his  poetry.  One 
of  the  copies  in  this  collection  (No.  21)  was  transcribed  a  year 
or  two  before  his  death;  we  can  imagine  the  interest  that  it 
must  have  had  for  courtier  friends. 

No  collection  belonging  to  the  Muslim  realm  of  Persia,  Cen- 
tral Asia,  and  the  adjacent  domains  would  be  complete  without 
a  fine  copy  of  the  Qur'an.  The  oldest  manuscript  in  the  Coch- 
ran collection  is  a  specially  valuable  specimen  of  the  Muham- 
madan  scriptures  in  two  volumes  (Nos.  23-24),  completed  on 
June  29,  1427,  which  was  transcribed  by  Tamerlane's  grandson, 
Ibrahim  Sultan,  son  of  Shah  Rukh  and  brother  of  the  famous 
royal  bibliophile  Baisunghar.  To  illustrate  the  Sacred  Word  by 
pictures  would  be  against  the  spirit  of  Islam,  but  exquisite  orna- 
mentation might  be  lent  to  the  text  itself  in  the  form  of  chaste 
embellishment,  especially  to  grace  a  copy  of  the  Qur'an  tran- 
scribed by  a  prince's  hand.  Not  only  is  this  copy  written  by  a 
prince  and  beautifully  adorned,  but  it  has  the  further  distinction 
that  it  descended  through  the  fine  of  the  great  Mughal  rulers 


INTRODUCTION 


xxi 


till  it  reached  Aurangzib,  the  last  of  these  emperors  in  India. 
On  the  back  of  the  last  leaf  he  records  the  history  of  the  copy 
and  the  date  when  he  made  the  memorandum  of  his  reading  it,  in 
1638  A.D.,  more  than  two  centuries  after  the  manuscript  had  been 
transcribed.  He  was  then  a  prince  in  his  nineteenth  year  and  had 
not  yet  sat  upon  the  throne.  The  court  gilder  embellished  the 
pages  with  brush-work  of  ornamental  gold  around  Aurangzib's 
handwriting. 

A  remarkably  precious  manuscript  of  the  Haft  Paikar  of 
Nizami  (No.  5),  containing  a  romantic  epopee  on  the  subject 
of  the  Sasanian  king  Bahram  Gur  ('that  Great  Hunter'),  who 
reigned  in  the  fifth  century  of  our  era,  furnishes  not  only  a 
cherished  transcript  of  a  master-work,  but  formed  a  gift  fit  for 
a  king,  as  it  was  presented  to  Akbar  the  Great  by  a  grandee 
whom  he  had  appointed  to  be  governor  in  the  Panjab.  A  regal 
memorandum  in  a  painted  medallion  on  the  first  page  records 
that  it  was  offered  as  a  special  tribute  to  the  sovereign.  The 
year  of  the  gift  was  1580,  at  which  time  we  know  that  Akbar 
was  at  Lahore  in  the  Panjab.  The  imperial  seal  and  other 
memorandums  attest  the  fact  of  presentation  and  prove  the 
royal  ownership ;  and  we  know  from  court  records  that  the 
works  of  Nizami  were  among  the  emperor's  favorite  reading. 
The  volume  descended  to  his  grandson.  Shah  Jahan  the  Mag- 
nificent, as  shown  by  an  official  signet.  But  the  manuscript  has 
an  additional  value  and  interest,  since  it  contains  five  rare 
miniatures  by  Bahzad,  the  most  famous  of  all  Persian  painters, 
whose  death  occurred  about  fifty  years  before.  The  miniatures 
are  all  genuine,  each  being  signed  in  the  authentic  minute 
handwriting  of  Bahzad,  which  —  as  was  characteristic  of  him  — 
was  so  fine  that  a  microscope  is  needed  to  decipher  the  name. 

The  artistic  value  of  the  collection  has  been  indicated  already, 
and  we  may  be  sure  that  books  which  formed  part  of  the 
libraries  of  Oriental  potentates,  as  shown  by  seals  and  memo- 
randums, were  choice  copies.    The  finest  in  the  entire  set  is  a 


xxii 


INTRODUCTION 


magnificent  manuscript  (No.  8)  of  the  works  of  Nizami,  tran- 
scribed by  the  famous  calligraphist  Sultan  Muhammad  Nur, 
who  completed  the  transcript  in  the  year  1525.  This  superb 
codex,  which  is  sumptuously  embellished,  came  from  the  library 
of  the  Safavid  kings  of  Persia  and  was  among  the  treasures  of 
the  later  Shahs.  It  is  written  on  heavy,  gold-frosted  paper, 
with  a  different  marginal  color  to  distinguish  each  of  the  five 
long  romantic  poems,  and  is  incased  in  the  original  flap-cover, 
which  is  a  specimen  of  rare  beauty  in  the  way  of  binding. 
But  beauteous  above  all  are  the  fifteen  miniatures  with  which 
it  is  adorned.  They  are  from  the  brush  of  Mirak,  the  cele- 
brated pupil  of  Bahzad,  and  the  most  famous  of  all  Persian 
artists  after  his  master.  <  Regarding  this  manuscript  Dr. 
Martin  writes  in  terms  of  the  highest  praise  when  he  says 
(i.  116):  *It  is  second  to  none  of  the  same  period;  there  are 
certainly  larger  ones  in  existence,  but  none  of  finer  quality  with 
such  a  profusion  of  architecture  and  such  charming  coloring.' > 
The  views  of  the  seven  different  palaces  in  which  Prince 
Bahram  Gur  visits  the  seven  princesses,  his  wives  from  the 
seven  realms  of  the  world,  are  particularly  notable.  <  Of  the 
artistic  treatment  of  these  themes  Dr.  W.  R.  Valentiner,  of  the 
Metropolitan  Museum,  says  {Bulletin  of  the  Metropolitan  Mil- 
seum  of  Art,  8.  86):  'These  subjects,  which  demand  a  different 
color-scheme  for  each  miniature  to  correspond  with  the  different 
colors  of  the  palaces,  black,  yellow,  green,  and  so  forth,  have 
always  been  among  the  favorite  problems  of  the  Persian 
painters,  but  never  has  higher  decorative  value  been  given  to 
these  manuscripts  than  by  Mirak  in  this  Nizami,  in  which  the 
hue  of  the  walls  in  the  different  palaces  is  the  motive  upon 
which  is  built  up  an  exquisite  symphony  of  color.'  > 

There  are  points  of  art  to  admire  in  other  manuscripts  of  the 
set.  We  may  note,  for  example,  the  expression  of  the  faces, 
so  remarkably  caught  in  miniature,  in  a  seventeenth-century 
copy  (No.  14)  of  a  Persian  classic,  Sa'di's  Bustdny  or  '  Garden 


INTRODUCTION 


xxiii 


of  Perfume,'  which  belonged  to  the  library  of  Shah  Jahan  and 
that  of  his  son  Aurangzib.  The  borders  of  its  pages,  with 
extra-decorated  insets,  are  unusually  ornate ;  and  it  is  interest- 
ing to  observe  from  the  well-worn  condition  of  this  copy,  with 
its  sixteen  official  seal-impressions  and  memorandums,  how 
extensively  it  was  read  at  the  court. 

Another  manuscript  of  special  value  (No.  17),  more  than  a 
hundred  and  fifty  years  older  than  the  preceding,  as  its  date  is 
not  far  from  1465,  is  one  of  the  four  copies  of  Jami's  poems  in 
this  collection,  transcribed  a  quarter  of  a  century  before  his 
death.  It  is  a  Diwdn,  or  select  volume  of  his  lyric  and  mystic 
verses,  and,  besides  being  richly  illuminated,  is  adorned  with 
sixteen  beautiful  miniatures,  which  show  strongly  the  influence 
of  Mongol  art  and  are  important  for  the  study  of  the  art  of 
painting  at  that  time. 

The  art  of  calligraphy  by  the  side  of  miniature  painting  may 
be  illustrated  by  still  another  copy  of  Jami  (No.  18),  transcribed 
by  the  illustrious  penman  Mir  'All  in  1523  and  1524;  also  by 
one  of  the  copies  (No.  21)  of  the  poems  of  Mir  *Ali  Shir 
Nawa'i,  which  was  copied  in  1500  by  the  hand  of  the  renowned 
*Ali  Mashhadi. 

Imperfect  as  is  this  account,  it  would  be  still  more  lacking 
if  some  notice  were  not  taken  of  a  special  variety  of  art,  shown 
by  five  of  the  manuscripts,  in  portraying  scenes  from  Firdausi's 
Shdh-ndmah^  Persia's  great  national  epic,  composed  nearly  a 
thousand  years  ago.  Students  of  literature  are  familiar  with 
the  tragic  episode  of  Suhrab  and  Rustam  through  Matthew 
Arnold's  adaptation  of  the  story  of  the  unknown  heroic  son 
who  is  unwittingly  slain  in  single  combat  by  his  warrior  father, 
Rustam.  Art  connoisseurs  will  scan  with  interest  the  delinea- 
tions of  this  fearful  scene  as  drawn  by  the  different  artists. 
Nor  will  any  critic  of  the  brush  overlook,  among  other  minia- 
tures, one  by  *Ali  Naqi  in  a  seventeenth-century  copy  of  the 
Shdh-ndmah  (No.  4,  fol.  24^).    In  this  picture  the  artist  de- 


xxiv 


INTRODUCTION 


picts  the  grief  of  King  Faridun,  who,  somewhat  after  the 
manner  of  Gorboduc  or  distantly  like  Lear,  has  divided  his 
realm  among  his  three  sons,  and,  in  consequence  of  the  bloody 
internecine  strife  that  arose  among  them,  receives  on  a  golden 
salver  the  head  of  his  youngest  and  best  beloved  son,  slain  by 
the  elder  brothers.  Only  a  great  miniaturist  could  so  per- 
fectly convey  the  poet's  conception  of  a  parent's  heartrending 
sorrow. 

Allusion  has  previously  been  made  to  the  lovely  little  manu- 
script, bound  in  red  leather,  of  the  Delhi  poet  Amir  Khusrau, 
as  an  example  of  Indian-Persian  miniature  art  (No.  15).  It 
dates  from  the  time  of  the  last  of  the  Mughal  emperors, 
Aurangzib,  the  hero  of  Dryden's  drama,  whose  grandsire,  Ja- 
hangir,  the  '  Great  Mogul,'  boasted  of  a  knowledge  of  technique 
in  art  that  could  distinguish  if  a  different  brush  gave  the  con- 
cluding finish  to  an  eyebrow  in  a  portrait.^  The  delicacy  of 
touch  in  the  miniatures  of  this  particular  manuscript  bears 
witness  to  the  nonpareil  of  workmanship  attained  by  the 
several  artists  at  Aurangzib' s  court  who  have  affixed  their 
signatures  to  the  paintings. 

In  addition  to  the  manuscripts  themselves  must  be  mentioned  a 
series  of  twenty-nine  single-page  paintings  of  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries,  most  of  which  are  not  drawn  from  manu- 
scripts^  but  were  specially  prepared  as  examples  of  art.  Five  of 
these  are  in  the  Persian  style  of  Rida  'Abbasi.  Among  those 
from  India,  dating  from  the  Mughal  period,  may  be  mentioned 
a  fine  portrait  of  the  Emperor  Jahangir,  another  painting  in 
which  he  is  depicted  as  reverently  paying  his  respects  to  a 
pious  dervish,  and  still  a  third  which  represents  in  splendid 
style  his  son  Shah  Jahan,  mounted  on  horseback.  <  Dr. 
Martin  chose  two  of  these  to  be  among  the  six  which  he  se- 
lected for  reproduction  in  color  in  his  second  volume  (vol.  2, 
pi.  D,  p.  79 ;  pi.  E,  p.  87).  >    The  Cochran  set  contains  four- 

1  See  E.  B.  Ha  veil,  Indian  Sculpture  and  Painting,  p.  199,  London,  1908. 


INTRODUCTION 


XXV 


teen  other  single-sheet  paintings  in  the  Indian  style,  and  also 
seven  beautiful  specimens  of  Persian  calligraphy. 

Enough  has  been  said  to  show  the  artistic,  literary,  and 
historic  importance  of  the  collection,  the  details  regarding 
which  may  be  gathered  from  the  descriptions  of  the  separate 
manuscripts  in  the  ensuing  pages. 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


I 


FIRDAUSi 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


FIRDAUSI 
(about  935-1025  A.D.) 

Persia's  celebrated  epic  poet,  Firdausi,  author  of  the  Shdh-ndmahf 
or  'Book  of  Kings/  a  work  which  ranks  among  the  great  epics  of  the 
world,  was  born  about  935  a.d.  in  the  ancient  city  of  Tus,  whose  ruins 
are  still  to  be  seen  a  few  miles  distant  from  Mashhad  in  Northeastern 
Persia.  By  descent  he  belonged  to  the  landed  gentry  of  Iran  and  had, 
therefore,  an  inherited  interest  in  his  country's  great  past. 

For  fully  thirty-five  years,  or  from  about  974  to  loio,  Firdausi 
worked  upon  his  famous  epic,  a  poem  of  nearly  sixty  thousand  couplets. 
Much  of  it  he  composed  at  the  court  of  the  great  conqueror  Mahmud 
of  Ghazni,  in  Afghanistan,  a  patron  who  ill  rewarded  his  labors  and 
who  was  consequently  held  up  to  scorn  by  the  poet  in  a  satire  as  im- 
mortal as  the  epic  itself.  Fleeing  from  the  monarch's  wrath  he  found 
himself,  at  the  age  of  seventy-fiye,  a  wanderer  without  proper  means  of 
support ;  but  ultimately  he  received  shelter  at  the  court  of  a  minor 
Persian  ruler  in  Tabaristan,  where  he  composed  a  notable  long  romantic 
poem,  Yusuf  and  Zulaikhd,  on  the  love  of  Potiphar's  wife  for  Joseph, 
as  recorded  in  the  Qur'an  after  the  Bible.  Returning  at  last  to  Tus, 
Firdausi  died  in  his  native  city  at  an  advanced  age  in  1020  or  1025  a.d. 

The  Shdh-ndmah  is  a  poetic  chronicle  based  upon  older  prose  annals, 
now  mostly  lost.  It  portrays  the  national  history  of  Iran  from  the  age 
of  the  mythical  ruler,  Kaiumarg,  or  GayHmart,  whom  tradition  places 
about  3600  B.C.,  down  to  the  death  of  the  last  Sasanian  King,  the  his- 
toric Yazdagard  III,  in  641  a.d.,  and  the  events  directly  preceding  the 
fall  of  the  empire  before  the  Arabs. 

The  main  stages  of  the  epic,  so  fully  illustrated  by  the  paintings 
in  the  present  collection  of  Shdh-ndmah  manuscripts,  are  as  follows : 
After  beginning  with  the  primeval  ruler  Kaiumar§,  the  poem  de- 
scribes the  kingship  of  Hushang,  who  was  the  discoverer  of  fire,  of 
Tahmurasp,  'the  binder  of  demons,'  and  of  Jamshid,  sovereign  of  the 

5 


6 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


golden  age.  A  foreign  usurper,  Dahhak,  or  Zahak,  representing  the 
tyrannical  rule  of  Babylon  and  Arabia  over  Persia,  seized  the  throne 
and  reigned  for  a  legendary  period  of  a  thousand  years.  The  power 
of  this  monster  was  destroyed  at  last  by  a  national  hero  of  Iran,  the 
noble  Faridun,  only  to  be  followed  by  an  internecine  strife  between  the 
deliverer's  three  sons,  Iraj,  Tur,  and  Salm,  who  succeeded  respectively 
to  the  kingdoms  of  Persia,  Turan,  and  China.  Iraj  was  slain  by  his 
two  brothers.  This  deed  of  blood  started  the  inveterate  warfare 
between  Iran  and  Turan,  which  forms  the  burden  of  a  large  part  of 
the  epic.  King  Minuchihr  ultimately  mounted  the  throne  of  Iran ; 
a  romantic  episode  then  tells  of  valiant  Zal,  whose  love  for  Rudabah 
gave  birth  to  a  son,  Rustam,  the  hero  of  the  epic.  Rustam's  martial 
exploits,  herculean  labors,  and  signal  triumphs  (one  being  even  the 
tragic  slaying  in  battle  of  his  own  son  Suhrab,  whom  he  did  not 
know)  run  almost  to  the  end  of  the  poem.  Kings  follow  kings  in 
the  order  preserved  by  tradition  until  the  rise  of  the  Prophet  Zoro- 
aster, some  three  centuries  before  the  invasion  of  Alexander  the  Great. 
The  appearance  of  this  ancient  prophet  gives  occasion  for  chronicling 
the  reign  of  his  patron.  King  Gushtasp,  and  the  latter's  son,  Asfandiar, 
crusader  for  the  faith,  as  well  as  for  recounting  the  religious  wars 
between  Iran  and  Turan,  still  more  embittered  by  the  difference  of 
creed.  The  latter  part  of  this  reign  of  the  Kaianian  kings  corresponds 
with  the  close  of  the  great  Achaemenian  empire  of  Persia;  and  at 
this  point  the  rimed  chronicle  begins  to  pass  from  the  realm  of 
legend  into  the  domain  of  history.  The  overthrow  of  the  Kaianians 
was  brought  about  by  the  invasion  of  Alexander  the  Great,  followed 
by  the  assassination  of  Darius  III  (Dara)  in  330  b.  c.  The  epic  nar- 
rative compresses  the  next  five  hundred  years,  or  the  empire  of  the 
Parthian  Arsacids,  into  the  briefest  possible  summary  of  the  events 
of  half  that  period.  A  historic  account  in  general  of  the  Sasanian 
rule,  from  226  a.d.  to  about  the  year  650,  offers  a  special  opportunity 
to  record,  among  other  reigns,  that  of  Bahram  Gur,  as  well  as  that  of 
Nushirwan  the  Just,  and  the  epic  brings  the  story  down  to  the  mur- 
der of  Yazdagard  III  (in  641  a.d.),  the  last  king  of  Iran  before  Persia 
was  conquered  by  the  Muhammadan  Arabs. 

■  Abundant  material  is  accessible  in  the  way  of  editions  and  translations 
of  the  Shdh-ndmah,  as  shown  by  the  bibliographical  citations  in  the  exhaus- 
tive treatise  by  Th.  Noldeke,  Das  iranische  Nationalepos,  in  Geiger  and 


FIRDAUSi  7 

Kuhn's  Grundriss  der  iranischen  Philologie,  2.  130-21 1.  For  other  details 
regarding  Firdausi's  life  and  work  see  E.  G.  Browne,  Literary  History  of 
Persia,  2.  129-147,  London  and  New  York,  1906;  P.  Horn,  Persische 
Litteratur,  p.  81-114,  Leipzig,  1901 ;  E.  A.  Reed,  Persian  Literature,  p. 
214-283,  Chicago,  1893.  There  is  an  abridgment  of  the  Shah-namah  in 
English  by  J.  and  J.  A.  Atkinson  (London  and  New  York,  1886)  and  by 
A.  Rogers  (London,  1907),  and  an  English  translation  into  blank  verse 
by  A.  G.  and  E.  Warner  (London,  1905-) ;  a  translation  into  French  by 
J.  Mohl  (Paris,  1876-1878),  and  into  Italian  by  1.  Pizzi  (Turin,  1886-1888). 


8 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


1 

Firdausi  (c.  935-1025  a.d.)  :  Shah-namah.— A  large  illuminated 

and  handsomely  illustrated  manuscript  of  the  great  Per- 
sian epic  poem  Shdh-ndmah,  or  'Book  of  Kings/  carrying 
the  narrative  down  to  the  death  of  Alexander,  with  which 
event  the  codex  ends.  It  contains  the  close  of  a  Preface,  the 
first  pages  of  which  are  missing.  The  manuscript  belongs 
to  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century  (being  dated  1587- 
1588  A.D.),  and  contains  forty  large  miniatures  in  addition  to 
the  two  illustrations  on  the  inside  of  the  lacquer  covers. 

Size.  —  Height  and  width,  15I  X  n  in.  (39.5  X  28.0  cm.). 
Height  and  width  of  written  page,  12  X  7I  in.  (30.5  X  19 
cm.).  Folios  596,  comprising  roughly  about  49,000  couplets. 
A  leaf  between  foHos  i  and  2  is  missing. 

Binding.  —  Beautiful  lacquer  binding  (though  not  the  original 
covers)  with  a  golden  yellow  background  exquisitely  adorned 
with  dehcate  flowered  designs  on  the  outside  and  decorated 
by  two  large  illustrative  scenes  on  the  inside.  The  illustra- 
tion on  the  inside  of  the  front  cover  represents  a  meeting 
between  two  kings  who  are  seated  in  state,  surrounded  by 
their  attendants,  while  officers  of  the  army  are  stationed 
in  review  before  them.  The  illustration  on  the  inside  of 
the  back  cover  represents  a  king  under  a  canopy  in  a  garden ; 
his  attendants  are  around  him  and  a  suppKant  kneels  in 
obeisance  before  him.  The  manuscript  has  been  subjected 
to  a  rebinding  and  to  a  trimming  of  the  pages,  which  gives 
the  copy  a  neat  appearance,  but  has  unfortunately  resulted 
in  cropping  some  of  the  folios  too  closely,  so  that  a  part  of 
many  of  the  catchwords  at  the  bottom  of  the  right-hand 
pages  has  been  cut  off,  the  top  of  the  illuminated  title- 
pieces  has  been  slightly  clipped,  and  the  figure  of  a  man  on 
the  margin  of  fol.  49a  has  been  almost  trimmed  off. 


FIRDAUSI  9 

Writing  and  Paper,  —  Large  clear  Nasta^liq  hand,  21  lines  to 
the  page  in  four  columns  with  marginal  ruUngs  of  blue,  red, 
and  green.  The  paper  is  of  a  light  creamish  tint,  of  medium 
sheen,  pure-laid  on  a  rather  cross  screen ;  it  is  of  fairly  con- 
stant composition  and  of  a  comparatively  light  weight. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  date  of  the  manuscript  (i 587-1588 
A.D.)  and  the  name  of  the  copyist,  Shah  Muhammad  of 
Sabzavar,  are  both  given.  The  scribe's  name  is  first 
recorded  on  fol.  i6ia,  at  the  end  of  the  first  of  the  four  sub- 
divisions into  which  the  codex  is  divided,  as  follows :  '  The 
(first)  book  is  finished  with  God's  help  by  the  humblest 
Shah  Muhammad  of  Sabzavar,  the  scribe.'  The  date 
itself  with  the  scribe's  name  is  given  at  the  end  of  the  manu- 
script in  the  colophon  on  fol.  596a :  ^  Finished  by  the  hand 
of  the  most  humble  Shah  Muhammad  of  Sabzavar,  the 
scribe  (may  God  forgive  him  !),  in  the  year  996  A.  H.  [  =  1 587- 
1588  A.D.'].'  The  district  of  Sabzavar  is  in  Khurasan,  north- 
eastern Persia,  between  Teheran  and  Mashhad. 

Memorandums.  —  There  are  seal  impressions  stamped  on  several 
folios  (fol.  la,  lyja,  327a,  33KZ,  41 7^?,  and  596a).  The  oval 
one  on  fol.  la  is  the  signet  of  Muhammad  Saif  ad-Din,  the 
date  in  the  body  of  this  seal  being  1200  a.h.  =  1785  a.d. 
The  octagonal  seals  on  folios  la,  2>2'ja,  and  596a  are  identical 
with  each  other,  but  in  them  only  the  name  *  Muhammad  ' 
can  be  deciphered.  The  square  seal  on  fol.  177a,  which  is 
surmounted  by  a  triangular  crown,  is  not  legible,  but  above 
it  are  written,  in  an  inverted  order  as  in  a  seal,  the  figures  for 
1222  (a.h.  =  1807  A.D.)  and  the  words  ba  ism,  ^  in  the  name 
of '  (Hkewise  half  in  inverted  order.)  Above  this  there  are 
two  or  three  words,  not  quite  distinct,  but  mushlr,  *  minister,' 
is  legible.  In  two  spaces  in  the  body  of  the  text  near  this  seal 
there  is  twice  written  in  a  bold  hand  in  Persian  '  Shah  [sic] 
Zadah  Yunis.'    The  oval  seal  on  417a  is  not  legible,  but 


10 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


appears  to  differ  from  the  oval  one  on  fol.  la ;  above  it  are 
written  in  inverted  order  as  in  a  seal  the  figure  1222  (a.h. 
=  1807  a.d.)  and  the  words  ba  ism  likewise  half  inverted 
as  in  a  seal,  as  in  the  case  of  that  on  fol.  177a;  and  above 
it  the  figures  for  '  11.'  On  foHos  331a  and  396a  are  the 
marks  of  a  little  square  seal,  but  illegible.  There  is  the 
impression  of  a  third  large  square  seal  on  fol.  596(1,  but  it 
has  been  erased.  On  the  margins  of  several  pages  are  ex- 
planations of  Persian  words  or  more  modern  terms  for  the 
ones  that  are  comparatively  obsolete. 
Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  epic  history  of  Persia  down  to 
the  death  of  Alexander  the  Great.  The  codex  contains  a 
portion  of  the  so-called  ^  Older  Preface,'  often  prefixed 
to  the  manuscripts  of  the  poem  (cf.  Rieu,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss. 
in  British  Museum,  p.  534),  but  the  first  part  of  this  is  un- 
fortunately missing  down  to  the  list  of  kings  with  the  tra- 
ditional length  of  their  respective  reigns,  the  list  here  begin- 
ning only  with  the  Sasanian  monarchs  Hurmazd  I,  son  of 
Shapur  I,  followed  by  Bahram  and  the  rest.  The  poem 
itself  opens  on  fol.  ib  with  the  lines 

The  manuscript  is  divided  into  four  unequal  parts  or  divi- 
sions, each  of  which  is  introduced  by  an  illuminated  'unwan, 
or  title-piece,  as  follows :  (a)  Close  of  a  Preface,  fol.  la.  — 
I  (fol.  ib-i6ia).  First  part  of  the  epic.  —  II  (fol.  i6ib-446a). 
'  Book  of  Kai  Khusrau.'  —  III  (fol.  4465-556^).  ^Book  of 
Bahman.'  —  IV  (fol.  556&-596a).  ^  Book  of  Alexander.' 
Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  manuscript  is  illuminated 
by  four  richly  adorned  'unwans,  or  title-pieces,  as  introduc- 
tions to  the  four  books  or  subdivisions  that  have  been  men- 
tioned, each  of  these  ornate  titles  occupying  a  third  of  the 
page.    The  ever  recurring  captions  or  head-bands  to  the 


FIRDAUSI 


II 


different  sections  of  the  poem  are  written  throughout  in 
white  ink  upon  a  gold  background  and  occupy  the  space 
of  two  distichs  between  the  two  middle  columns ;  the  band, 
however,  on  fol.  ib,  is  blank,  but  was  doubtless  intended  for 
extra  decorations  because  it  heads  the  section  relating  to  the 
praise  of  wisdom ;  the  writing  is  missing  in  the  gold  band 
in  fol.  3486.  As  an  additional  embelHshment  to  the  body 
of  the  text  the  verses  preceding  the  miniatures,  or  in  some 
cases  both  preceding  and  following  a  miniature,  are  written 
in  small  square  spaces  delicately  adorned  with  floweret 
designs  of  a  violet  and  reddish  color  —  a  feature  found  in 
other  manuscripts  as  well.  Besides  the  two  illustrations 
on  the  inside  of  the  lacquer  covers,  described  above,  under 
Binding,  there  are  forty  full-page  miniatures  to  illustrate 
the  text.  These  all  appear  to  be  the  work  of  a  single  artist 
and  are  markedly  Mongolian-Persian  in  style.  The  figures 
as  a  rule  are  rather  large,  boldly  drawn,  without  overmuch 
attention  given  to  minor  details. 

I  (a)    fol.  lb.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  first  subdivision  of 
the  work. 

1  fol.  3&.      Kaiumarg,  the  first  of  the  Persian  kings. 

2  fol.  96.       Dahhak,  the  tyrant  of  Babylon  and  Arabia,  had 

foreseen  Faridun,  his  vanquisher,  in  a  dream,  and 
learns  from  his  priests  the  import  of  the  vision. 

3  fol.  15^.      Faridun  is  about  to  slay  the  serpent-shouldered 

Dahhak,  but  decides  to  bind  him  for  thousands  of 
years. 

4  fol.  22a.      Iraj,  the  son  of  Faridun,  is  slain  by  his  brothers 

Salm  and  Tur. 

5  fol.  32a.       The  fabulous  bird  Simurgh  restores  the  youthful 

Zal  to  his  father  Sam,  who  had  abandoned  him  when 
an  infant  on  account  of  his  having  been  born  with 
white  hair. 

6  fol.  49a.       The  marriage  of  Zal  and  Rudabah.    (It  may  be 

observed  that  in  cutting  the  margin  of  this  page  a 


12 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


part  of  a  man's  figure  has  been  trimmed  off,  leaving 
the  nuptial  torch,  his  hand,  and  a  portion  of  the 
turban.) 

7  fol.  6ib.      Naudhar,  captured  by  Afrasiab,  is  put  to  death. 

8  fol.  6'jb.      Rustam  in  combat  with  Afrasiab  seizes  him  by  the 

girdle  and  lifts  him  from  the  saddle;  Afrasiab  is 
saved  by  the  girdle  s  breaking. 

9  fol.  77&.      Rustam  killing  the  Div-i  Safid,  or  White  Demon. 

10  fol.  88&.      Kai  Ka'us  (a  pioneer  in  aviation  !)  attempts  to  fly 

to  heaven  by  fastening  young  eagles  to  his  throne. 
(The  eagles  endeavored  to  reach  the  haunches  of 
mutton  stuck  on  the  points  of  four  spears  at  the 
corners  of  the  throne  and  thus  raised  it  to  the  sky ; 
but  the  eagles,  before  long,  became  exhausted,  and 
then  Kai  Ka'us  fell  from  aloft,  but  escaped  death.) 

11  fol.  103&.       Rustam  in  combat  kills  Suhrab,  his  son. 

12  fol.  II sb.       Siawush  passes  through  the  fire-ordeal  to  prove 

his  innocence  of  the  calumnious  charge  that  he  was 
in  love  with  his  stepmother. 

13  fol.  125a.      Siawush  displaying  his  skill    in  polo  before 

Afrasiab. 

14  fol.  139&.       Siawush  slain  at  the  hand  of  GurwT  Zirah. 

15  fol.  154&.       Piran  taken  and  bound  by  Giv. 

II  (b)  fol.  161 6.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  second  subdivision 
of  the  work,  or  'Book  of  Kai  KJiusrau.' 

16  fol.  1626.      Rustam  and  his  father  Zal  come  to  congratulate 

Kai  Khusrau  on  being  made  King. 

17  fol.  177b.      Piran's  night  attack  upon  the  Iranians. 

18  fol.  201  a.      Ashkabus  slain  by  Rustam. 

19  fol.  213a.      Rustam  catches  with  his  lasso  the  Khaqan,  or 

Ruler  of  China,  and  pulls  him  down  from  his  white 
elephant. 

20  fol.  222b.      Rustam  wrestling  with  Puladwand  of  Turan.  (In 

the  picture  is  to  be  noticed  a  Muhammadan  flag 
with  the  words,  'O  God,  O  Muhammad!') 
^21  fol.  232a.      Bizhan  is  brought  before  Afrasiab  by  Garsiwaz,  * 
the  latter's  brother,  and  is  threatened  with  death 
for  having  entered  the  palace  of  Manizhah,  the 
daughter  of  Afrasiab. 


FIEDAUSi 


13 


22  fol.  243&.      Rustam  taking  Bizhan  out  of  the  pit  where  he 

had  been  placed  by  Afrasiab. 

23  fol.  2 58a.      Rustam  in  combat  with  his  unrecognized  grand- 

son Barzu,  the  son  of  Suhrab,  on  horseback. 

24  fol.  277(Z.      The  mother  of  Barzu  explains  that  the  man  with 

whom  Rustam  is  fighting  is  the  son  of  Suhrab,  and 
therefore  Rustam's  own  grandson. 

25  fol.  2946.       Rustam  wrestling  with  Pilsam. 

26  fol.  313a.       Human  slain  in  battle  by  Bizhan. 

27  fol.  3336.      Kai  Khusrau  comes  to  Gudarz  and  sees  those 

who  have  been  slain. 

28  fol.  345<2.       Shidah  slain  by  Kai  Khusrau. 

29  fol.  2)6gb.      Afrasiab  and  Garsiwaz  put  to  death  by  Kai 

Khusrau. 

30  fol.  389a.       Gushtasp  killing  a  dragon. 

31  fol.  417a.      Asfandiar  kills  a  Simurgh  bird  which  attacks 

his  chariot. 

32  fol.  442a.       Rustam  shoots  Asfandiar  in  the  eyes  with  an 

arrow,  as  the  Simurgh  had  bidden  him. 

III  (c)  fol.  446&.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  third  subdivision 

of  the  work,  or  'Book  of  Bahman.' 

33  fol.  462a.      Bahman  the  guest  of  Lulu. 

34  fol.  483a.      Rustam,  though  d)dng,  transfixes  by  an  arrow 

through  the  plane  tree  his  half-brother  Shaghad, 
who  had  treacherously  caused  his  death. 

35  fol.  500a.       Faramarz  fights  with  Bahman  and  is  slain. 

36  fol.  518a.      Bahman   in   the   mausoleum   of  Gushtasp. 

(There  is  a  verse  on  the  sarcophagus  to  the  effect 
that  those  who  have  departed  from  this  life  have 
passed  through  dust  to  paradise.) 

37  fol.  S5S^'       Bahman  swallowed  by  a  dragon. 

IV  (d)  fol.  5566.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  fourth  subdivi- 

sion of  the  work,  or  'Book  of  Alexander.' 

38  fol.  567a.      Alexander  lamenting  the  death  of  Darius  III, 

who  has  been  assassinated  by  two  of  his  own 
treacherous  vizirs. 

39  fol.  588a.      Alexander  and  Khidr,  the  Sage  of  Eternal 

Youth,  at  the  Fountain  of  Life. 

40  fol.  595^.      Death  of  Alexander. 


14  PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 

2 

Firdausi :  Shah-namah,  or  ^  Book  of  Kings/  the  great  epic  poem 
of  Persia,  complete  in  a  manuscript  dated  1602  a.d.,  with 
richly  ornate  borders  and  illuminated  by  seventy-two  small 
miniatures.  It  carries  the  narrative  to  the  end,  including 
the  circumstances  following  the  death  of  Yazdagard,  and 
gives  also  Firdausi's  Epilogue.  Of  the  Preface  only  the 
last  page  containing  the  Kst  of  kings  from  Faridun  to 
Yazdagard  III  has  been  preserved ;  the  preceding  ten  folios 
are  missing.  The  manuscript  is  contemporary  with  the 
close  of  the  reign  of  the  Mughal  Emperor  Akbar  the  Great, 
and  in  style  it  belongs  to  the  group  of  Indian  manuscripts 
of  the  Mughal  period. 

Size.  —  13!  X  8i  in.  (35.5  X  21.5  cm.).  Height  and  width  of 
written  page,  respectively,  8  X  4^  in.  (20.3  X  11.5  cm.). 
Folios  581.  There  are  errors  in  the  Persian  numbering 
that  is  inserted  between  the  lower  left-hand  columns.  Two 
leaves  are  lost  between  fol.  2  and  3,  and  the  first  ten  foKos 
of  the  Preface  are  missing.  The  number  of  couplets  in  the 
manuscript  is  about  57,000. 

Binding.  —  Heavy  Oriental  leather  binding  of  a  golden  brown 
color,  richly  embossed  in  gilt  on  the  outside,  with  a  mahog- 
any red  leather  finish  on  the  inside  and  ornate  tooling  in 
various  colors.  The  pressed  leather  work  on  both  the  inside 
and  outside  of  the  covers,  with  medallions  and  paneled 
borders,  is  very  fine.  The  codex  has  been  bound  a  second 
time  and  subjected  to  a  very  slight  trimming. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Written  in  a  handsome  Nasta^liq  char- 
acter, rather  small  in  size,  25  lines  to  a  page  in  four  gold- 
ruled  columns  with  rubric  section-headings.  The  paper 
is  of  the  finest  quality  and  each  written  page  is  inset.  The 
decorative  margins  which  form  the  borders  are  of  a  salmon- 


FIRDAUSI 


15 


pink  color  and  are  embellished  in  highly  ornate  fashion,  with 
varied  designs  of  animals,  birds,  and  flowers,  outlined  in 
gold.  No  two  pages  are  exactly  alike,  and  the  grouping  as 
a  whole  is  different  in  each  of  the  four  subdivisions  of  the 
codex.  The  three  fly-leaves  at  the  front  and  the  back  of 
the  codex  are  of  a  different  quality  from  the  body  of  the  work, 
and  are  of  a  later  date,  though  one  in  each  case  is  rather  old. 
Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  date  is  in  the  colophon  on  fol.  581a 
as  *  Saturday,  the  first  day  of  Muharram,  ion  a.h.  [= 
June  21, 1602  A.D.].'  The  copyist's  name  is  likewise  given  in 
this  colophon  as  Kamal  ad-Din  bin  Ibrahim.  On  fol.  i86(i, 
in  a  small  colophon  at  the  end  of  the  first  subdivision  is  given 
a  date,  *  the  seventeenth  of  the  month  Shawwal,'  but  no 
year  is  added. 

Memorandums.  —  At  the  top  of  the  first  older  fly-leaf  is  a  memo- 
randum in  Persian  stating  that  the  work  *  contains  seventy- 
five  [sic]  illustrations.'  Below  this  is  another  Persian 
entry  in  the  same  hand  stating  that  *  Farhad,  the  son  of 
the  Crown  Prince,  duly  purchased  this  on  the  25  th  of  Rabi* 
as-Sani,  1296  a.h.  [=  April  18,  1879  a.d.].'  A  third 
memorandum  in  Persian  in  still  the  same  cursive  hand  adds 
a  comment  on  the  miniatures  as  follows :  '  The  painting  in 
this  book  is  Chinese  work;  in  that  territory  the  beard  is 
very  scanty,  and  for  that  reason  the  artist  has  everywhere 
drawn  Rustam  without  a  beard ;  it  is  absurd  to  paint 
Rustam  as  beardless.'  It  may  be  noted,  however,  that  on 
fol.  349a  and  354^,  Rustam  has  a  beard. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  great  epic  poem  of  Persia  in 
nearly  sixty  thousand  couplets,  including  Firdausi's  Epilogue 
(cf.  tr.  Mohl  7. 407-409 ;  tr.  Pizzi,  8.  472-474)  and  the  end  of 
the  ^  Older  Preface,'  the  portion  devoted  to  a  list  of  the  kings 
from  Faridun  to  Yazdagard  III,  the  preceding  ten  foKos 
that  probably  contained  the  '  Baisunghar  Preface  '  being 


1 6  PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 

missing.  In  this  copy  four  subdivisions  are  marked,  each 
introduced  by  an  ^unwan,  or  illuminated  head-piece.  The 
beginnings  of  these  different  parts  are  as  follows: 
a  {iol.  la).  Close  of  a  Preface. — I(fol.  ib-iS6a).  The 
opening  of  the  poem.  —  II  (fol.  1866-309^).  The  story  of 
Bizhan  and  Mamzhah.  —  III  (fol.  3096-45 7a).  The  Reign 
of  Gushtasp.  —  IV  (fol.  King  Anushirwan  the 

Just. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  In  addition  to  the  ornate  bor- 
ders described  above  and  the  illuminated  page-headings  as 
introductions  to  the  four  separate  subdivisions  made  in  the 
manuscript,  there  are  seventy-two  small  miniatures,  which 
are  called  ^  Chinese  work '  in  the  Persian  memorandum  on 
the  first  older  fly-leaf,  as  noted  above.  In  style,  however, 
these  paintings  seem  to  show  a  strong  Indian  influence  and 
are  perhaps  the  work  of  a  Mongolian  or  Turkistan  artist 
who  was  in  Northern  India,  though  he  knew  Persia  as  well. 
They  all  seem  to  be  the  work  of  a  single  brush,  and  are 
delicate  in  form  and  in  execution.  Each  miniature  occu- 
pies about  one-third  of  the  page,  and  the  shape  is  not  square, 
but  in  three  panels,  usually  with  the  middle  section  consid- 
erably larger  than  the  side  sections.  On  fol.  786  and  418a, 
near  the  miniatures,  the  text  is  embellished  by  setting  some 
of  the  verses  in  ornamental  squares,  a  feature  more  com- 
mon in  other  manuscripts.  Somewhat  unusual  in  illustrat- 
ting  the  Shah-namah  is  the  introduction,  at  the  close  of  each 
of  the  first  three  subdivisions  of  the  work,  of  a  painting 
representing  a  conventional  scene  between  two  lovers. 
Particularly  noteworthy  are  the  beautiful  designs  in  gilt 
on  the  salmon-pink  margins  of  each  page,  because  they  show 
the  greatest  variety  in  conception,  no  two  being  exactly 
alike.  Up  to  fol.  4470^  the  outline  of  the  figures  is  given 
sharpness  by  a  black  ink  pen-line. 


FIRDAUSI 


17 


(a)  fol.  la.      Small  illuminated  bird  design  below  the  list 

of  the  Persian  kings  at  the  end  of  the  Preface. 

(b)  fol.  2a.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Shah-namah. 

1  fol.  2(Z.      King  Kaiumar§,  the  first  of  the  line  of  Persian 

kings. 

2  fol.  36.       Jamshid,  the  ruler  of  the  Golden  Age,  sitting 

on  his  throne.  (In  the  upper  part  of  the  picture, 
the  divSj  'demons,'  murgh,  'birds,'  and  parts j 
'fairies,'  are  shown  as  his  servitors.) 

3  fol.  6a.      Dahhak,  the  tyrant  of  Babylon  and  Arabia, 

from  whose  shoulders  serpents  grew,  and  whose 
cruel  sway  over  Persia  lasted  a  thousand  years. 

4  fol.  27a.      Iraj,  the  son  of  Faridun,  slain  by  his  own 

brothers  Salm  and  Tur. 

5  fol.  35a.      King  Mintichihr  on  his  throne. 

6  fpl.  37a.      Zal  is  restored  by  the  fabulous  bird  Simurgh, 

to  his  father,  Sam,  who  had  abandoned  him  on 
account  of  the  child's  having  been  born  with  white 
hair. 

7  fol.  42a.      Zal  woos  the  beautiful  Rudabah. 

8  fol.  52a.      The  birth  of  the  hero  Rustam  through  an  inci- 

sion made  in  his  mother's  side.  The  fabulous 
bird  Simurgh  appears  with  timely  help.  (The 
Caesarian  operation  is  illustrated  in  the  picture.) 

9  fol.  64a.      In  a  battle  between  the  Iranians  and  Turanians, 

in  the  time  of  Kai  Qubad,  the  heroic  Rustam, 
though  still  a  mere  youth,  lifts  Afrasiab,  the 
leader  of  Ttiran,  from  his  saddle  by  the  girdle; 
but  the  foeman  escapes,  as  the  belt  breaks. 
10  fol.  jga.  Kai  Ka'us  attempts  to  fiy  to  heaven  by  fastening 
young  eagles  to  his  throne.  The  eagles  try  to 
reach  the  haunches  of  meat  which  he  caused  to  be 
fastened  above  on  spear-points,  and  thus  they 
raise  the  throne  to  the  sky ;  but  King  Ka'us  (the 
first  aviator)  comes  to  grief. 

1  fol.  93a.      Rustam  in  combat  kills  Suhrab,  being  unaware 

that  he  was  slaying  his  own  son. 

2  fol.  107a.      Siawush  sends  a  message  to  Afrasiab  of  Ttiran 

by  Sangah  of  Shavaran. 


i8 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


13  fol.  120^.       Gurwi  Zirah  puts  to  death  Siawush,  whom  he 

has  captured,  and  causes  the  blood  to  be  caught  in 
a  basin  to  send  to  King  Ka'us  of  Iran. 

14  fol.  1356.       Kai  Khusrau  sitting  in  state. 

15  fol.  1426.      Farud  in  battle  slays  Zarasp,  the  son  of  Tus. 

16  fol.  isoa.      Battle  between  Gudarz  and  his  followers  and 

Piran  of  Turan. 

17  fol.  167a.      Rustam  in  battle  with  Ashkabus. 

18  fol.  176a.       The  Ruler  of  China  taken  prisoner  by  Rustam 

with  his  lasso. 

19  fol.  185a.      The  demon  Akwan  Div  throws  Rustam  into 

the  sea. 

20  fol.  iS6a.       Conventional  scene  between  lovers  at  the  close 

of  the  first  subdivision  of  the  work.  (See  comment 
above.) 

II  (c)  fol.  186&.  Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  second  subdivision 
of  the  work,  beginning  with  the  Story  of  Bizhan 
and  Manlzhah. 

21  fol.  1986.      Rustam  rescues  Bizhan  from  the  well. 

22  fol.  200a.      Rustam  in  battle  with  Afrasiab  of  Turan. 

23  fol.  234&.       Killing  of  Pilsam  by  Rustam. 

24  fol.  237&.      Battle  between  Barzu,  the  grandson  of  Rustam, 

and  Afrasiab  of  Ttiran. 

25  fol.  248a.       Human  slain  by  Bizhan. 

26  fol.  261a.      The  Turanian  leader  Piran  killed  by  Gudarz 

in  combat. 

27  fol.  2726.      King  IChusrau  of  Iran  slays  Shidah  of  Turan 

in  combat. 

28  fol.  274a.      Battle  between  Kai  Khusrau  and  Afrasiab. 

29  fol.  290a.       Khusrau  kills  Garsiwaz  and  likewise  Afrasiab  as 

the  latter  comes  out  of  the  water. 

30  fol.  309a.       Conventional  scene  of  two  lovers  at  the  close 

of  the  second  subdivision  of  the  work.  (See  remark 
above.) 

Ill  (d)  fol.  3096.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  third  subdivision 
of  the  work,  beginning  with  the  Reign  of  Gushtasp. 

31  fol.  309&.      King  Gushtasp  (the  patron  of  Zoroaster)  on 

his  throne. 

32  fol.  319&.       Gushtasp  throws  his  son  Asfandiar  into  prison. 


FIRDAUSi 


19 


33  fol.  S26b.      Asfandiar  kills  a  wolf  on  the  first  stage  of  his 

seven  adventures. 

34  fol.  3266.      Asfandiar  kills  a  lion  and  lioness  on  the  second 

stage  of  his  seven  adventures. 

35  fol.  S2'ja.      Asfandiar  kills  a  dragon  on  the  third  stage  of 

his  seven  adventures. 

36  fol.  328a.      Asfandiar  kills  a  sorceress  on  the  fourth  stage. 

37  fol.  3286.       Asfandiar  kills  the  Simurgh  on  the  fifth  stage. 

38  fol.  330&.       Asfandiar  kills  Gurgsar  of  Turan  on  the  seventh 

stage.    [The  sixth  stage  is  not  illustrated.] 

39  fol.  S4ga.      Rustam  slays  Asfandiar  with  a  two-pronged 

arrow  shot  into  his  eyes. 

40  fol.  3516.      Funeral  of  Asfandiar. 

41  fol.  354a.      Rustam,   though  near  death,  transfixes  his 

treacherous  half-brother  Shaghad  through  a  tree 
behind  which  he  had  taken  refuge. 

42  fol.  307a.       Faramarz  executed  by  Bahman. 

43  fol.  366a.       Alexander  over  the  corpse  of  Dara  (Darius  III), 

who  has  been  slain  by  his  own  faithless  vizirs. 

44  fol.  367a.       Alexander  on  the  throne  of  Persia. 

45  fol.  373a.       Battle  between  Alexander  and  Poros  of  India. 

46  fol.  38 Khi^r,  the  Sage  of  Eternal  Youth,  at  the  Foun- 

tain of  Life  —  (a  part  of  the  legend  of  Alexander). 

47  fol.  3846.      Alexander  returning  from  China. 

48  fol.  389a.      Story  of  Ardawan  and  Ardashir. 

49  fol.  391^.      Ardawan  put  to  death  by  Ardashir. 

50  fol.  3956.       Ardashir  Babagan  on  the  throne. 

51  fol.  406(1.      Shaptir  Dhu'l-Aktaf  II,  the  Sasanian  king  (309- 

379  A.D.). 

52  fol.  4146.       Yazdagard  on  his  throne. 

53  fol.  416&.       Bahram  Gur  hunting  in  company  with  his 

mistress,  Fitnah,  'Mischief,'  called  also  Azadah, 
'  Noble-born '  —  the  familiar  story  of  how  he  trans- 
fixed the  gazelle's  hoof  to  its  ear  by  an  arrow,  as  a 
proof  of  his  skill  in  archery. 

54  fol.  418&.      Yazdagard  killed  by  the  kick  of  a  horse  that 

came  up  from  the  lake  in  the  region  of  Nishapur. 

55  fol.  420a.      Bahram  Gur  congratidated  on  ascending  the 

throne. 


20 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


56  fol.  4216.       Bahram  Gur  as  king, 

57  fol.  425^.       Story  of  Bahram  Gur  and  the  chief  of  the  village, 

who  mastered  a  lion. 

58  fol.  431a.       Story  of  Bahram  Gur  and  the  jeweler  whose 

daughter  he  took  as  spouse. 

59  fol.  444&.       Bahram  Gur  kills  a  dragon. 

60  fol.  456&.       Mazdak  the  Heretic,  executed  by  Anushirwan. 

61  fol.  457a.       Conventional  scene  of  lovers  at  the  close  of  the 

third  subdivision  of  the  work.  (See  comment 
above.) 

IV  (e)  fol.  45 7&.  Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  fourth  subdivision 
of  the  work,  beginning  with  the  Reign  of  Anu- 
shirwan. 

62  fol.  457&.      Anushirwan  the  Just  on  the  throne. 

63  fol.  4S^a,      The  origin  of  the  game  of  chess. 

64  fol.  490&.      Battle  between  Giv  and  Talkhand ;  the  latter 

is  slain  on  the  back  of  his  elephant. 

65  fol.  512a.      Battle  between  Bahram  Chubin  and  Sawah- 

Shah,  and  death  of  the  latter. 

66  fol.  530&.       Bahram  Chubin  sits  on  the  throne  at  Ctesiphon. 

67  fol.  5485.       Death  of  Bahram  Chubin  by  the  hand  of 

Qalun. 

68  fol.  556^.       Khusrau,  out  hunting,  meets  Shirin. 

69  fol.  55965.       King  Khusrau  and  the  minstrel  Barbad,  who, 

unknown  to  the  King,  sang  hidden  between  two 
cypress  branches  and  thus  became  court  bard. 

70  fol.  5686.       Khusrau  Parwiz  slain  by  Mihr  Hurmazd. 

71  fol.  572a.       Yazdagard  III  on  the  throne. 

72  fol.  578^.      Yazdagard  assassinated. 


3 

Firdausi :  Shah-namah.  —  An  illuminated  manuscript  of  the 
Shah-namah  belonging  to  the  beginning  of  the .  seventeenth 
century  (being  dated  1605-1608  a.d.).    It  has  an  intro- 


FIRDATJSI 


21 


duction  (the  so-called  '  Older  Preface  ')  and  carries  the  epic 
narrative  to  the  end,  including  the  death  of  Yazdagard  III. 
It  inserts  Firdausi's  lament  over  the  death  of  his  own  son 
in  place  of  the  ordinary  Epilogue.  This  handsome  manu- 
script is  adorned  by  eighty-five  large  miniatures. 

Size.  —  14!  X  9!  in.  (37.4X25.0  cm.).  Width  of  written 
page  5I  in.  (13.0  cm.)  with  large  margins,  height  iif  in. 
(29.6  cm.).  Folios  571.  One  folio  is  missing  between  fol. 
429  and  430;  and  there  is  a  slight  misbinding  between 
folios  225-232,  where  the  proper  order  would  be  fol.  225, 
231,  227,  228,  229,  230,  226,  232.  The  number  of  distichs 
is  somewhat  under  45,000. 

Binding.  —  Old  lacquer  covers  with  floral  designs,  including 
a  large  bunch  of  flowers  on  an  orange  background,  and  with 
dehcate  marginal  gold  decorations.  The  inside  leather  is 
of  a  dull  green.  The  stitched  head-binding  is  in  the  Shirazi 
style;  and  small  silk  tabs  are  attached  to  the  margin  of 
the  folios  that  contain  illustrations. 

Writing  and  Paper. — Handsome  Nasta'liq  hand,  21  lines  to 
the  page  in  four  columns  with  marginal  rulings  of  gold,  blue, 
red,  and  green.  The  paper  is  of  a  rich  cream  tint  and  varies 
considerably  as  to  weight  and  quality  in  different  parts 
of  the  codex. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  date  of  the  manuscript  is  found  in  two 
different  places  (fol.  309a  and  fol.  57 ic^)  and  shows  that  the 
copying  of  the  codex  occupied  a  period  of  more  than  two 
years,  possibly  four.  On  fol.  309a,  the  colophon  says: 
*  Finished  the  first  volume,  by  the  help  of  God,  in  the  year 
1014  A.H.  [=  1605  A.D.].'  On  the  last  folio  (fol.  571^?),  in 
a  longer  colophon,  the  date  of  completion  is  given  as  1016 
A.H.  =  1608  A.D.,  together  with  the  name  of  the  scribe,  and 
reads  as  follows :  ^  The  book  was  finished  by  the  help  of  God, 
the  Lord  of  Mercy  and  Grace,  on  the  twelfth  day  of  the 


22 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


month  of  Sha'ban  in  the  year  1016  a.h.  [=  Dec.  2,  1608 
A.D.] ;  written  by  the  poor  and  sinful  servant  and  solicitor 
of  pardon  from  God,  Master  Muhammad,  the  son  of  Mulla 
Mir,  al-Husaini  (may  God  forgive  him,  and  forgive  the 
artist  and  whosoever  does  any  work  with  it !).  The  request 
I  ask  from  my  friends  is  a  prayer  that  God  may  accept 
it  as  a  means  for  my  salvation.'^ 

Memorandums.  —  On  each  side  of  the  last  folio  is  an  impression 
of  a  large  square  seal,  but  in  it  only  the  name  Muhammad 
can  be  deciphered,  the  rest  being  indistinct  or  obliterated. 
On  the  middle  of  the  last  page  is  a  Persian  jotting,  '  He  is 
God  the  ^Most  High.'  Below  it  is  a  nearly  erased  memoran- 
dum of  no  importance,  but  it  is  possible  to  make  out  a  few 
words,  '  eighth  of  Jumadi  II,  [year  illegible],  Isfahan.' 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  great  epic  of  Firdausi  complete 
with  an  introduction  on  the  life  and  work  of  the  poet.  The 
introduction  (fol.  ib-'ja)  corresponds  to  the  so-called  *  Older 
Preface  '  and  includes  Firdausl's  Satire  against  Mahmtid 
(fol.  5<i-5&).  FoHos  76  and  Sa  are  blank,  the  epic  itself 
beginning  on  fol.  Sb.  At  the  end  of  the  manuscript,  before 
the  colophon,  there  is  given  Firdausi's  lament  over  the  death 
of  his  son,  instead  of  the  usual  Epilogue.    It  may  be  noted 

^  This  Master  Muhammad,  son  of  Mulla  Mir,  of  the  sect  of  Husain, 
is  possibly  the  same  as  Muhammad  Husain,  from  Kashmir,  a  famous  callig- 
raphist  at  the  court  of  Akbar  the  Great;  he  is  spoken  of  in  the  royal 
chronicles  as  'the  equal  of  Mulla  Mir  'Ali '  and  was  generally  known  by  the 
complimentary  title  of  Zarin  Qalam,  or  '  Golden  Pen.'  (See  also  Sachau  and 
Ethe,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss.,  col.  634,  no.  963 ;  and  Browne,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss.  Lib. 
Cambridge,  p.  331,  no.  235.)  From  the  date  given  at  the  end  of  the  first 
subdivision  of  the  manuscript  (see  above),  he  must  have  begun  the  copying 
some  time  before  the  death  of  Akbar,  which  occurred  on  Oct.  13,  1605; 
and  he  completed  it  when  Jahangir  had  been  three  years  on  the  throne. 
For  a  reference  to  him  as^  celebrated  among  the  masters  of  Nasta'liq  hand- 
writing, see  Abu'l  Fadl,  A'in-i  Akbari,  or  Institutes  of  Akbar,  tr.  F.  Gladwin, 
I.  112,  London,  1800. 


FIRDAUSI 


23 


that  the  manuscript  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  an  illumi- 
nated caption  at  fol.  310&,  beginning  with  the  reign  of 
Luhrasp. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  manuscript  is  illuminated 
by  handsomely  adorned  title-pages  and  decorative  head- 
bands, and  is  richly  provided  with  miniatures,  which  number 
no  less  than  eighty-five  and  are  nearly  full-page.  The 
copyist,  as  noted  above,  speaks  of  the  *  artist, '  but  does  not 
mention  his  name.  In  style  these  miniatures,  with  the 
exception  of  two  (38  and  39),  as  noted  below,  seem  to  be 
the  work  of  a  single  hand  throughout  and  show  a  touch 
of  Chinese  influence  in  the  manner  of  conception  and  execu- 
tion. In  a  number  of  miniatures  the  background  or  side 
decoration  is  carried  well  out  into  the  margin  —  a  feature 
that  is  found  in  other  manuscripts  as  well.  The  oft-re- 
peated use  of  the  two  long- tailed  magpies  in  the  miniature 
scenes  gives  an  impression  almost  Hke  the  artist's  signature 
in  modern  etchings.  Especial  attention  must  be  given, 
by  art  students,  to  the  fact  that  the  two  remarkable  minia- 
tures on  fol.  175a  and  175&,  which  are  full  of  spirit,  are 
certainly  by  another  artist  than  the  one  who  executed  the 
rest  of  the  work.  Internal  evidence,  noted  below,  shows 
that  there  is  a  lacuna  following  these  two  special  miniatures. 

I  {a)  fol.  ih.      Illuminated  title-pages  to  the  Preface. 

{h)   fol.  8&.      Illuminated  full-page  opening  of  the  Shdh-ndmah. 
(c)   fol.  ga.      Illuminated    full-page  containing  the  opening 
verses. 

1  fol.  12a.      Kaiumarg,  the  first  king,  tasting  of  the  products 

of  the  earth. 

2  fol.  14a.      Tahmura§  combats  the  Divs,  or  Demons. 

3  fol.  22a.      Faridun  is  about  to  slay  the  serpent-shouldered 

Dahhak,  but  decides  to  bind  him  as  a  prisoner  for 
thousands  of  years. 

4  fol.  236.      Faridun  enthroned. 


24  PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 

War  between  Minuchihr  and  Tur ;  death  of  Tur. 
Enthronement  of  Minuchihr. 
Meeting  between  Minuchihr  and  Sam ;  Sam  out 
of  respect  kisses  the  foot  of  Minuchihr. 

Zal  and  Rudabah  meet  when  they  are  out  riding. 
Kai  Qubad,  before  his  combat  with  Barman, 
gives  instructions  about  his  own  burial. 

Zal  killing  Khusrawan  in  single  combat  with  his 
mace. 

Battle  of  Rustam  of  Iran  and  Afrasiab  of  Turan. 
Rustam's  horse  Rakhsh  kills  a  lion  and  saves  his 
master. 

Rustam  killing  the  dragon. 
Rustam  and  the  Enchantress,  whom  he  after- 
wards slays. 

Rustam  nooses  Ulad  with  his  lasso. 
Rustam  and  the  Div  Arzhang  in  combat. 
Rustam  kills  the  White  Div  in  his  cavern  and 
releases  Ka'us  and  the  Iranians  from  the  prison  of 
the  Div. 

Battle  of  Kai  Ka'us  with  the  king  of  Mazandaran. 
War  between  Ka'us  and  Hamavaran,  the  king  of 
Barbaristan,  or  Yaman. 
The  king  of  Hamavaran  overpowered  by  Rustam. 
Rustam  captures  Afrasiab  of  Turan  in  battle. 
Tahmmah,  the  daughter  of  the  king  of  Samangan, 
visits  Rustam  and  conceives  by  him  a  son,  Suhrab. 

Suhrab  discovers  that  his  combatant  is  a  woman 
in  disguise,  the  daughter  of  Guzhdahm,  an  Iranian 
warrior. 

24  fol.  loia.       Combat  of  Suhrab  and  Rustam. 

25  fol.  104^1.  Death  of  Suhrab  by  the  hand  of  his  father 
Rustam. 

26  fol.  105a.  The  body  of  Suhrab  is  carried  to  Zabulistan ; 
Rustam  accompanies  it  with  lamentation. 

27  fol.  109a.       Feasting  and  merrymaking  at  the  birth  of  Siawush. 

28  fol.  114a.  Siawush  passes  through  the  fire-ordeal  to  prove 
his  innocence  of  the  accusation  of  his  stepmother, 
Sudabah. 


5 

fol.  336. 

0 

lol.  300. 

7 

fol.  39a. 

8 

fol.  53a. 

9 

fol.  60a. 

10 

fol.  62a. 

II 

fol.  d'JCL. 

12 

fol.  73a. 

13 

lol.  740. 

14 

fol.  75a. 

15 

lol.  ']ba. 

16 

fol.  77fit. 

17 

fol.  78a. 

18 

fol.  Qia. 

19 

lol.  030. 

20 

fol.  86&. 

21 

fol.  ^Id. 

22 

fol.  92&. 

23 

fol.  95a. 

riRDAusi  25 

29  fol.  1240.       Siawush  visits  Afrasiab  of  Turan. 

30  fol.  125&.      Siawush  exhibits  to  Afrasiab  and  the  Turks  his 

skill  in  polo. 

31  fol.  1266.       Siawush  shows  his  skill  in  the  chase  with  Afrasiab 

and  arouses  the  envy  of  the  Turks. 

32  fol.  138^.       Gurwi  Zirah  cuts  off  the  head  of  Siawush  and  lets 

the  blood  flow  into  a  basin. 

33  fol.  143^.       The  king  of  Sanjab  (or  Sipanjab)  killed  by  the 

hand  of  Faramarz,  the  son  of  Rustam. 

34  fol.  146a.       A  combat  between  Rustam  and  Afrasiab. 

35  fol.  i6ia.       Rustam,  Zal,  and  Sam  come  to  see  Kai  Khusrau. 

36  fol.  164a.       Kai  Khusrau  mounted  on  an  elephant  reviews 

the  army,  accompanied  by  his  warriors,  Farlburz 
and  Gudarz. 

37  fol.  1 73 J.      Battle  between  the  Iranians  and  Turanians  led 

respectively  by  Bizhan  and  Tazhau, 

38  fol.  i75<z.       Piran's  night  attack  upon  the  Iranians.  (This 

picture  and  its  mate  on  the  following  page  differ  in 
style  of  art  from  the  other  miniatures  in  the  manu- 
script, as  observed  above.) 

39  fol.  175&.       Combat  the  next  day.    (See  preceding  note  and 

observe  that  fol.  1746  is  incomplete,  and  a  lacuna 
follows  fol.  175&,  equivalent  to  the  text  in  the 
Vullers-Landauer  edition,  vol.  2,  p.  840, 1.  1201,  as 
far  as  p.  857, 1.  1498.) 

40  fol.  187^1.      The  marriage  of  Fariburz  and  Farangis,  the 

mother  of  Kai  Khusrau. 

41  fol.  195a.      Rustam  kills  Ashkabus,  the  leader  of  the  Tura- 

nians. 

42  fol.  205&.       Rustam  with  his  noose  lassoes  Gahar  of  Gahan, 

the  Khaqan  of  China,  and  pulls  him  down  from  his 
white  elephant. 

43  fol.  2135.       Rustam  wrestling  with  Puladwand  of  Guran. 

44  fol.  2i6(Z.       Rustam  carried  off  in  his  sleep  by  the  demon 

Akwan  Div,  who  throws  him  into  the  sea. 

45  fol.  229^.      Kai  Khusrau  receives  Rustam. 

46  fol.  2356.       Rustam  taking  Bizhan  out  of  the  well  where 

he  was  placed  by  Afrasiab. 
'47  fol.  249a.      Human  meets  death  at  the  hand  of  Bizhan. 


26 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


48  fol.  261a.      Fariburz  in  combat  with  Kulbad,  a  Turanian 

hero. 

49  fol.  251^.       Giv  captures  GurwI. 

50  fol.  2686.      Kai  Khusrau  destroys  the  army  of  the  Turanians 

and  kills  the  hero  GurwL 

51  fol.  279a.       Shidah,  the  son  of  Afrasiab,  is  put  to  death  by 

Kai  Khusrau. 

52  fol.  288a.       Kai  Khusrau  in  the  harem  of  Afrasiab  gives 

quarter  to  the  ladies. 

53  fol.  295a.       Kai  Khusrau  crosses  the  sea  of  Zirih. 

54  fol.  2,00b.       Afrasiab  slain  by  the  sword  of  Kai  Khusrau. 

II  ((i)fol.  3io^>.       Illuminated  title-piece  introducing  the  second 
part  of  Shdh-ndmah. 

55  fol.  316a.       Gushtasp  slays  a  wolf. 

56  fol.  320a.       Gushtasp  fights  with  Ilias  and  slays  him. 

57  fol.  3336.       Gushtasp  imprisons  his  own  son,  Asfandiar. 

58  fol.  344a.       The  first  stage  —  Asfandiar  killing  two  wolves. 

59  fol.  344^.       The  second  stage  —  Asfandiar  killing  two  lions. 

60  fol.  345&.       The  third  stage  —  Asfandiar  killing  a  dragon. 

61  fol.  3466.       The  fourth  stage  —  Asfandiar  killing  a  witch. 

62  fol.  3476.       The  fifth  stage  —  Asfandiar  killing  the  Simurgh. 

63  fol.  374^.       Rust  am  transfixes  Shaghad  through  the  plane 

tree  by  his  arrow.  (Shaghad  was  the  son  of  Zal  by 
a  slave  wife,  and  was  consequently  a  half-brother 
of  Rustam.) 

64  fol.  378a.       Bishutan,  the  Minister  of  Bahman  (Ardashir), 

son  of  Asfandiar,  admonishes  his  lord  Bahman, 
after  the  latter  had  impaled  Faramarz  in  revenge 
for  the  death  of  Shaghad,  to  stop  the  pillaging  of  the 
country.    Bahman  repents  of  his  act. 

65  fol.  388a.      Alexander  discovers  that  Dara  (Darius  III)  has 

been  assassinated  by  two  of  his  own  treacherous 
vizirs. 

66  fol.  3916.       Rushanak,  the  daughter  of  Darius,  in  the  presence 

of  Alexander. 

67  fol.  397a.       Alexander  at  the  gate  of  the  Ka'ba  in  Mecca. 

68  fol.  418a.      Ardashir  recognizes  Ormazd,  the  son  of  Shapur  I, 

as  the  boy  is  playing  polo. 

69  fol.  425a.       Crowning  of  Shapur  II  while  yet  a  small  boy. 


FIRDAUSI 


27 


70  fol.  429a.      Shapur  attacks  by  night  the  camp  of  the  Romans 

and  takes  captive  the  Roman  emperor. 

71  fol.  432Z>.       Bahram  Gur  shows  his  skill  in  archery  by  trans- 

fixing the  hoof  of  the  deer  to  its  ear.  His  mistress 
Azadah  (elsewhere  called  Fitnah,  *  Mischief)  is 
playing  on  the  harp.  (The  episode  has  already  been 
alluded  to.) 

72  fol.  4366.       Bahram  Gur  killing  lions. 

73  fol.  448a.      Bahram  wrestles  with  a  champion  in  the  court 

of  Shangil,  king  of  India,  and  shows  his  prowess. 

74  fol.  450&.       Bahram  marries  Sapinud,  the  daughter  of  Shangil. 

75  fol.  460b.       The  court  of  Anushirwan  the  Just. 

76  fol.  46ya.      Buzurjmihr  interpreting  the  dream  of  Anushirwan. 

77  fol.  475^.       Anushirwan  marries  the  daughter  of  the  Khaqan 

of  China. 

78  fol.  497&.      Bahram  Chubinah  cuts  off  the  head  of  King 

Sawah  and  sends  it  to  Hurmuzd. 

79  fol.  509a.       Chubinah  humbled  before  Khusrau  Parwiz. 

80  fol.  534&.       Bahram  Chubinah  killing  a  dragon. 

81  fol.  551a.       Khusrau  and  his  attendants. 

82  fol.  555&.       Qubad  Shiru'i,  the  son  of  Khusrau  Parwiz, 

ascends  the  throne  and  puts  the  crown  upon  his 
head  and  is  honored  by  the  heroes  of  Iran. 

83  fol.  561a.       Rustam  slain  in  a  combat  with  Sa'd,  the  son  of 

Waqqas,  an  Arab. 

84  fol.  5666.       A  miller,  by  the  order  of  Mahwi  Suri,  kills  King 

Yazdagard  III  and  throws  the  body  into  the 
water. 

85  fol.  569^.       Bizhan  tortures  and  kills  Mahwi  Suri  in  revenge 

for  Yazdagard's  murder. 


28 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


4 

Firdausi :  Shah-namah.  —  A  handsome,  large,  and  very  fully 
illuminated  and  illustrated  manuscript  belonging  to  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  (being  dated  1 663-1 669 
A.D.)  and  carrying  the  epic  narrative  down  to  the  death  of 
Rustam  and  the  events  preceding  the  death  of  Yazdagard 
III.  '  It  contains  Firdausi's  Epilogue  and  is  introduced  by 
the  two  Prefaces  described  below.  The  codex  has  forty- 
two  beautiful  miniatures  and  is  part  cularly  interesting 
because  of  the  signatures  of  the  different  artists  attached 
to  most  of  the  paintings.  The  lacquer  covers  show  much 
taste. 

Size.  —  i8i  X  iii  in.  (46.5  X  28.5  cm.) ;  written  surface,  13! 
X  6|  in.  (34.0  X  17.5  cm.).  Folios  460.  Total  number 
of  couplets  about  55,000.    There  are  no  folios  missing. 

Binding.  —  Persian  lacquer  covers  of  about  a  century  ago,  when 
the  manuscript  appears  to  have  been  rebound,  if  we  may 
judge  by  the  date  of  the  introduction  which  was  added  in 
1255  A.H.  =  1839  A.D.  Both  covers  are  tastefully  decorated 
within  and  without.  The  outside  covers  are  of  a  ruby 
tinge  with  a  rich  ornamentation  of  flower  and  bird  designs. 
In  the  center,  moreover,  of  the  outside  of  the  front  cover 
there  is  portrayed  one  of  the  Persian  kings  seated  upon  his 
throne  with  a  youth,  probably  his  son,  standing  by  him. 
On  the  king's  right  is  seated  a  warrior,  presumably  Rustam, 
if  we  may  judge  from  his  mace  and  cap,  and  from  the  general 
portraiture  of  that  hero  in  Shah-namah  manuscripts.  To 
the  left  of  the  king  there  is  seated  a  white-bearded  hero, 
but  there  is  nothing  to  identify  him  or  the  monarch  himself. 
The  shape  of  the  king's  crown  and  of  the  swords  and  shields 
betrays  the  more  modern  style  of  this  binding,  and  the  same 
is  true  of  the  two  little  scenes  in  the  small  panels  above  and 


FIRDAUSI 


29 


below  the  centerpiece,  one  of  which  shows  a  bridge  and  a 
building,  while  the  other  shows  two  houses.  In  the  center  of 
the  outside  of  the  back  cover  is  another  picture,  apparently 
by  a  different  artist,  representing  likewise  a  royal  personage 
on  his  throne,  attended  by  a  prince,  a  warrior,  and  two  pages, 
but  there  is  nothing  by  which  to  identify  these  personages. 
Above  and  below  are  small  vignette  scenes  similar  in  style 
to  those  on  the  front  cover.  The  inside  covers  are  of  olive- 
green  lacquer  with  ruby  medallions  and  borders,  the  field 
in  each  case  being  enriched  by  a  graceful  design  of  golden 
flowers,  garlands,  and  the  tips  of  peacock  feathers;  the 
whole  finish  shows  workmanship  of  the  highest  order. 

The  manuscript  was  received  in  an  old  Oriental  case  of 
heavy  dark  leather. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Elegant  Nasta'liq  hand  of  a  medium  size, 
31  lines  to  the  page  in  four  columns,  with  marginal  ruHngs 
of  gold,  blue,  red,  and  green.  The  paper  of  the  codex  is  of  a 
hght  cream  color  and  of  an  unusually  fine  quality;  the 
screen-marks  are  very  close  together.  The  paper  used  in  the 
Preface,  which  has  been  added,  and  that  of  the  fly-leaves 
is  of  much  later  date.  In  rebinding,  the  margins  of  the 
foHos  have  been  somewhat  trimmed,  so  that  in  a  number  of 
instances  the  catchwords  have  been  cropped  off;  occa- 
sionally these  are  suppHed  in  a  later  hand. 

Date  and  Scribe.  — The  date  of  the  manuscript,  1663-1669  a.d., 
and  the  name  of  the  copyist.  Bin  Shams  ad-Din  Shaikh 
Muhammad,  are  both  given.  A  comparison  of  the  different 
parts  of  the  codex  shows  that  its  preparation  was  the  work 
of  over  six  years.  The  date  at  the  end  of  the  first  sub- 
division, fol.  238a,  is  given  as  *  the  month  of  Safar,  1074 
A.H.  [=  Sept.  1663  A.D.]' ;  and  the  date  at  the  end  of  the 
second,  or  last  subdivision,  fol.  460a,  is  recorded  as  '  the 
last  day  of  Shawwal,  1079  a.h.  [=  April  2,  1669  a.d.]'  ;  the 


30 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


entire  sentence  which  contains  this  latter  date  and  the 
scribe's  name  reads  as  follows :  *  The  book  of  Shah-namah 
was  finished  by  the  help  of  God  the  Most  High  and  under 
His  kind  guidance,  on  the  last  day  of  Shawwal,  the  month 
of  merit  and  success,  the  year  of  the  Hijrat  of  the  Prophet 
one  thousand  and  seventy  and  nine,  1079  [sic]  a.h.  [  = 
April  2,  1669  A.D.] ;  it  was  written  by  the  most  humble  serv- 
ant Bin  Shams  ad-Din  Shaikh  Muhammad ;  may  God  for- 
give him  on  this  account  [i.e.  through  the  merit  accrued  by 
copying  it].' 

Memorandums.  —  There  are  several  seals  of  different  owners 
into  whose  possession  the  manuscript  came ;  three  of  these, 
for  example,  are  impressed  upon  the  back  of  the  last  foHo 
(4606) .  The  largest  of  these  three  seals  on  f ol.  460b  is  that  to 
the  left  of  the  page,  bearing  the  inscription,  ^Shah  Jahan 
sanah  ahad  Tayyib  Khan  fidawi/  ^  Above  the  seal  there 
is  the  following  memorandum  in  Persian :  *  Shah-namah, 
copied  by  Shams  ad-Din  Muhammad ;  the  paintings  in  it 
are  the  work  of  Aqa  Nuyan  and  other  artists,  [a  word  cut 
of]  five  pictures;  price  one  hundred  and  ten  tumans; 
it  was  presented  in  the  month  of  Shawwal,  year  .  .  . 
[the  figures  cut  of  in  rebinding].' 

The  seal  next  in  size,  towards  the  right  of  the  page,  is 
indistinct  in  regard  to  the  name,  which  is  different,  however, 

^The  two  words  sanah  ahad,  'first  (regnal)  year,'  might  possibly  suggest 
that  this  large  seal  may  have  been  a  signet  connected  with  the  Mughal 
Emperor,  Shah  Jahan,  who  ruled  over  India  1628-1658  and  died  in  1666  — 
or  three  years  before  this  manuscript  was  finally  completed  —  but  if  so, 
the  seal  would  have  to  be  explained  as  having  been  affixed  by  one  of  Shah 
Jahan's  officials  when  the  copy  came  into  the  royal  library  after  his  death. 
It  might  be  possible  to  venture  a  conjecture  that  this  Tayyib  Khan  was  the 
same  as  Shah  Tayyib,  a  prince  who  was  also  a  poet,  belonging  to  this  period, 
as  mentioned  by  Pertsch,  Verzeichniss  der  Handschrifien  der  kgl.  Bibl.  zu 
Berlin,  Persische  Handschrifien,  p.  606,  no.  39,  Berlin,  1888. 


FIRDAUSI 


31 


from  the  preceding  and  appears  to  be  '  Muhammad  bin  .  .  . 
Tayyib  Khan/  and  above  it  in  the  body  of  the  seal  is  the 
date  1128  A.H.  =  1715  A.D. ;  furthermore,  above  it  is 
written  in  Persian :  ^  Illustrated  Shah-namah,  the  work 
of  Aqa  Nuyan  and  other  artists ;  it  was  presented  on  the 
tenth  of  the  month  of  Rajab,  year  .  .  .  [the  figures  are 
illegible].^ 

Between  these  two  is  a  small  seal,  the  signet  of  *  Muham- 
mad Hashim  bin  Husain  al-HusainL'  Above  it  is  a  Persian 
jotting :  *  Shah-namah,  which  was  bought  for  three 
hundred  and  twenty  tumans  in  1251  a.h.  [=  1835  A.D.].' 

Near  the  top  of  fol.  ga  is  a  more  recent  seal,  the  official 
signet  of  the  Amir  Nizam  (his  personal  name  being  Hasan 
^Ali),  who  was  Governor  of  Adharbaijan  in  1894  and 
for  several  years  afterwards.  An  accompanying  Persian 
memorandum  in  five  fines  of  large  script  by  this  high  digni- 
tary reads  as  follows :  *  In  the  period  of  my  administra- 
tion in  Adharbaijan,  while  I  was  residing  at  Tabriz,  the  seat 
of  government,  I  bought  this  book,  the  Shah-namah,  from 
the  honorable  and  august  Aqa  Nur  Muhammad  Husain, 
who  is  one  of  the  true-born  princes  [of  the  house  of  ^Ali] 
and  who  is  one  of  the  greatest  merchants  of  Tabriz  .  .  . 
for  three  hundred  tumans  in  the  month  of  Rabi*a§-§ani 
131 2  A.H,  [=  October,  1894  a.d.]  —  [signed]  God's  servant 
Hasan  ^Ali.' 

On  the  upper  margin  of  fol.  48a  there  is  a  small  part  of 
a  seal-impression,  but  it  is  not  legible. 

Throughout  the  course  of  the  manuscript  there  are  numer- 
ous marginal  jottings,  some  of  which  are  of  special  value 
because  they  relate  to  the  miniatures,  as  will  be  described 
below;  others  are  merely  ordinary  memorandums,  like 
the  supplying  of  a  verse  or  verses  omitted  in  the  text.  It 
will  be  noticed,  for  example,  that  in  the  upper  left-hand 


32 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


corner  of  folios  223a,  230a,  and  242a  there  is  a  note  in 
Persian  —  ^  something  must  be  written  '  —  referring  prob- 
ably to  some  omission  in  the  text.  Some  one  began 
to  number  the  folios  in  the  lower  left-hand  corner  in  Persian 
figures  as  far  as  f oL  476,  but  this  was  carried  no  farther ; 
and  up  to  47^  the  sections  headed  by  gold  bands  were  num- 
bered sometimes  in  the  margin  and  sometimes  between  the 
columns,  but  not  systematically,  and  this  also  was  aban- 
doned. In  some  instances  where  the  catchwords  have  been 
clipped  in  rebinding,  they  are  supplied  in  a  small  hand 
between  the  gold  rulings.  Figures  in  a  minuscule  hand  are 
added  beneath  the  miniatures  so  as  to  number  them,  but 
two  of  them  were  accidentally  overlooked  in  numbering. 
For  the  other  jottings  as  to  the  miniatures  see  below. 
Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  great  epic  of  Persia,  practically 
complete,  and  preceded  by  an  introduction  containing  ^  the 
Baisunghar  Preface  '  and  ^  the  Older  Preface  '  (cf.  Rieu, 
Cat.  Pers.  Mss.  in  British  Museum,  2.  534).  This  particular 
introduction  was  copied  and  added  two  centuries  after  the 
manuscript  was  prepared,  as  is  shown  by  the  date  given  at 
its  close  as  1255  A. H.  =  1839  a.d.  ;  it  occupies  six  and  a  half 
folios. 

The  first  part  of  the  introduction  (fol.  1^-3^)  contains  a 
hst  of  the  early  kings  of  Iran  in  the  order  of  their  dynasties, 
Pishdadian,  Kaianian,  Ashkanian,  and  Sasanian,  together 
with  tables  of  their  reigns  and  other  data,  such  as  their  titles, 
characteristics,  capitals,  or  cities  founded,  and  the  like. 
One  column  in  the  table  of  the  Kaianian  rulers,  on  fol.  2fZ, 
gives  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  prophets  contemporary  with 
their  reigns.  The  paragraph  that  follows  this  table  is 
devoted  to  a  summary  of  the  interregnum  of  Alexander 
the  Great.  The  so-called  '  Baisunghar  Preface '  begins 
near  the  top  of  fol.  3a  with  a  doxology  and  with  the  special 


FIRDAUSi 


33' 


line  that  is  recorded  in  the  second  instance  by  Rieu,  2.  536 
(Ms.  27.  302)  as  follows: — 

An  account  is  given  of  Firdausf s  life  and  of  the  circum- 
stances that  led  him  to  undertake  the  composition  of  the 
Shah-namah.  Firdausi's  celebrated  Satire  on  Sultan 
Mahmud  occupies  the  larger  part  of  fol.  4a-46  and  com- 
prises 60  couplets.  After  this  comes  the  notice  of  the  deg- 
radation of  the  Vizir  Maimandi. 

The  so-called  '  Older  Preface  '  begins  four  lines  from  the 
bottom  of  fol.  4&,  with  the  Kne 

It  contains  a  briefer  account  of  Firdausf s  life  and  of  the 
great  epic  and  is  followed  (5a)  by  a  list  of  the  Kings  of 
Persia,  with  the  duration  of  their  reigns.  After  this  comes 
a  vocabulary  of  old  or  obsolete  Persian  words  that  occur 
in  the  poem  (fol.  5^-76).  As  above  noted,  when  this  in- 
troduction was  prefixed  to  the  codex,  which  was  already 
nearly  two  centuries  old,  a  colophon,  containing  the  date 
1255  A.H.  (=  1839  A.D.),  was  appended.  The  entire  next 
folio  (Sa-b)  is  blank,  and  so  is  the  first  half  of  ga,  except  for 
the  memorandum  noted  above.  The  poem  begins  on  fol. 
gb  and  continues  unbroken,  down  to  the  events  preceding 
the  death  of  Yazdagard  III.  The  Epilogue  of  Firdausi 
shows  some  slight  variations  from  the  ordinarily  received  ver- 
sion (compare  tr.  Mohl,  7.  407-409;  tr.  Pizzi,  8.  472-474). 

The  two  subdivisions  into  which  this  manuscript  divides 
the  poem  are  very  unequal.  The  first  subdivision  (I) 
covers  fol.  96-238(1,  the  next  two  pages  being  left  blank. 
The  second  subdivision  (II)  begins  on  fol.  2396,  with  the 
*  Reign  of  Luhrasp,'  and  carries  the  epic  to  the  events  just 
preceding  the  fall  of  the  Sasanian  empire. 


34 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  manuscript  is  an  ornate 
one ;  the  embellishment  of  the  title-page  is  particularly  rich, 
and  a  number  of  the  pages  in  the  vicinity  of  miniatures 
are  interlined  with  gold.  The  captions  of  the  sections 
throughout  are  of  gold  and  inscribed  with  red  ink.  In 
a  few  instances  the  verses  before  or  after  an  illustration 
are  written  diagonally  in  square  spaces  to  give  a  decorative 
effect. 

In  regard  to  its  miniatures  (forty-two  in  number)  the 
manuscript  is  a  specially  fine  example  of  the  general  type 
of  Shah-namah  illustration,  and  most  of  the  paintings  are 
signed.  It  is  possible  to  recognize  five  different  artists, 
perhaps  the  finest  being  ^Ali  Naqi,  whose  signature,  in 
minuscule  hand,  is  attached  to  three  miniatures  as  follows : 
on  fol.  24&,  in  the  space  between  the  columns,  it  is  written 
as  ^  'All  Naqi,  the  son  of  Shaikh,  1014  ' ;  on  fol.  looa,  upon 
a  brick,  it  appears  as  '  'Ali  Naqi,  [the  son  of]  Shaikh  'Abbasi, 
year  1014,'  and  again  on  fol.  102a,  upon  a  vase,  as  '  *Ali 
Naqi,  [the  son  of]  Shaikh  'Abbasi,  1014.^  The  year  1014 
A.H.  would  be  equivalent  to  1605  a.d.,  but  possibly  we  should 
read  1104  =  1692  a.d.,  which  is  found  in  the  repeated  memo- 
randum below  the  signed  miniatures  of  another  artist  on  fol. 
170&,  2445,  as  well  as  (erased  but  legible)  on  230a,  and,  with 
the  figures  misplaced  (1140  for  1104)  on  fol.  422^1.  Yet 
the  whole  matter  is  very  uncertain.  'All  Naqf s  work  is 
particularly  fine  in  its  detail,  as  is  shown  by  the  beautiful 
miniature  on  fol.  24^. 

Next  in  order  may  be  mentioned  the  miniatures,  pre- 
sumably by  Aqa  Nuyan,  on  fol.  736,  iio^>,  151&,  as  his  name 
is  mentioned  in  the  Persian  memorandum  jotted  on  the 
last  page,  as  noted  above.  In  each  of  these  three  paint- 
ings there  is  found,  apparently  as  an  artist's  motto,  the 
phrase  '  0  Lord  of  Time/  i.e.  God. 


FIRDAUSi 


35 


A  third  artist,  but  anonymous,  appears  to  have  prepared 
the  miniatures  on  fol.  36a,  47a,  and  58^^. 

Fourth,  and  quite  distinct  in  style,  is  the  work  of  Ghulam 
Parmak,  whose  signature  is  found  in  the  columns  below  the 
painting  on  436.  From  Parmak's  brush  come  also  the 
miniatures  on  fol.  11,  31,  51,  53,  55,  64,  69,  71,  84,  91. 
Noticeable  is  his  use  of  blue  coloring  and  his  method  of 
indicating  rocks. 

Fifth,  but  most  numerous,  are  the  miniatures  by  Fadl 
'All ;  he  styles  himself  '  the  humble  Fadl  'Ali '  and  regularly 
signs  his  pictures.  To  him  are  due  twenty-two  miniatures 
as  follows:  fol.  106,  116,  129,  138,  162,  170,  176,  184,  193, 
203,  214,  230,  244,  278,  282,  292,  299,  331,  338,  347,  354, 422. 
Striking  in  his  work  is  the  use  of  pink,  bright  orange, 
and  white,  and  all  his  figures  are  large  and  boldly  drawn. 

(a)  fol.  lb.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Preface. 

(b)  fol.  gb.      Illuminated  title-page  to  the  first  subdivision. 

1  fol.  lib.      The  condition  of  things  at  the  time  of  Kaiumarg, 

the  first  king  of  Persia,  when  the  people  used  to 
wear  leopard-skins  and  the  hides  of  animals. 

2  fol.  246.       Iraj  slain  by  Salm  and  Tur,  his  brothers ;  their 

father,  Farldun,  with  his  courtiers,  laments  as  the 
head  of  Iraj  is  brought  before  him.  This  beautiful 
miniature,  so  full  of  expression,  is  signed  **Ali 
Naqi,  the  son  of  Shaikh,  year  1014,'  as  noted 
above. 

3  fol.  316.       Sam  seeking  Zal,  his  son,  who  is  found  in  the  nest 

of  the  fabulous  bird  Simurgh  with  its  young. 

4  fol.  36a.      The  meeting  of  Zal  and  Rudabah,  with  dancing 

girls  and  music. 

5  fol.  436.       Zal  displays  his  prowess  before  Minuchihr,  in 

piercing  through  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree  with 
his  arrow.  Signed  in  the  column  below  the  picture, 
'Ghulam  Parmak,  1019.' 

6  fol.  4ya.      Rustam  kills  the  white  elephant. 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


7  fol.  51&.      The  third  battle  between  Naudhar  and  Afrasiab. 

8  fol.  536.       Naudhar  slain  at  the  hand  of  Afrasiab. 

9  fol.  55a.       The  court  of  Zav,  the  son  of  Tahmasp. 

10  fol.  58a.       Pashang  making  merry  in  his  court  at  the  moment 

when  his  son  Afrasiab  brings  the  fearful  news  of 
Rustam's  martial  prowess. 

11  fol.  64b.       Rustam  killing  the  white  Div  in  the  cavern  and 

releasing  Ulad,  who  had  been  made  a  prisoner  by  the 
Div. 

12  fol.  6gb.       Rustam  fights  with  Arzhang,  the  king  of  Bar- 

baristan,  and  takes  him  captive. 

13  fol.  71a.       Kai  Ka'us  attempts  to  fly  to  heaven  by  eagles 

fastened  to  his  throne  and  shoots  at  an  angel. 

14  fol.  736.       Pilsam  in  battle  against  the  Iranians.    (On  the 

top  of  the  picture  are  the  words  '  O  Lord  of  Time,' 
i.e.  God.  This  phrase  may  be  a  motto  used  by  the 
artist  Aqa  Nuyan,  as  already  remarked.) 

15  fol.  84a.       Rustam  kills  Suhrab.      (On  Suhrab's  arm  is 

shown  the  amulet  which  was  bound  there  as  a  talis- 
man by  his  mother.) 

16  \  fol.  gib.       Siawush  going  through  the  fire-ordeal  to  prove 

his  innocence  of  the  accusation  of  a  guilty  love  for 
Sudabah,  his  stepmother. 

17  fol.  lood.       Siawush  displays  his  skill  in  the  chase,  and 

arouses  the  envy  of  Afrasiab  and  the  Turks.  Signed 
by  'All  Naqi,  1014. 

18  fol.  102a.       Siawush   marries   the   daughter   of  Afrasiab. 

Signed  by  'Ali  Naql. 

19  fol.  106a.       Garslwaz  slandering  Siawush  before  Afrasiab. 

Signed  by  Fadl  'All. 

20  fol.  110&.       A  meeting  of  Afrasiab  and  Garslwaz.    (Over  the 

picture  are  the  words  'O  Lord  of  Time,'  i.  e.  God. 
See  above,  fol.  736.) 

21  fol.  ii6a.       Battle  of  Pilsam  against  the  Iranians,  and  the 

death  of  Pilsam.    Signed  by  Fa(}l  ^Ali. 

22  fol.  129&.       Kai  Khusrau  rides  on  an  elephant  as  he  reviews 

his  army.    Signed  by  Facjl  *Ali. 

23  fol.  138^*.       Battle  between  the  Persians  and  the  Turanians. 

24  fol.  i5i^>.       Rustam  comes  to  the  help  of  the  Iranians  against 


FIRDAUSI  37 

the  Turanians.  (Again  the  words  Lord  of  Time.' 
See  above,  fol.  735.) 

25  fol.  162a.      Rustam  before  Kai  Khusrau  after  his  capture  of 

the  Khaqan  of  China.  Signed  at  top  and  bottom 
by  Fadl  'All. 

26  fol.  170&.      Rustam  in  his  sleep  carried  off  by  Akwan  Div, 

and  thrown  into  the  sea.    Signed  Fadl  'All. 

27  fol.  ijGb.       Bizhan  imprisoned  in  a  pit  is  fed  by  Mamzhah 

the  daughter  of  Afrasiab.    Signed  Fadl  'AlL 

28  fol.  184a.       Bizhan  taken  out  of  the  pit  by  Rustam.  Signed 

Fadl  'All. 

29  fol.  1936.       Human  killed  by  the  hand  of  Bizhan.  Signed 

Fadl  'All. 

30  fol.  203a.       Gudarz,  the  son  of  Kishwad,  fights  with  Piran. 

Signed  Fadl  'Ah. 

31  fol.  214a.      Kai  Khusrau  wrestles  with  Shidah,  and  Shidah  is 

slain  by  him. 

32  fol.  230^.       Garsiwaz  begs  Kai  Khusrau  for  mercy,  but  Kai 

Khusrau  orders  him  to  be  cut  asunder  by  the 
executioner  and  commands  that  his  brother  Afrasiab 
be  put  to  death.  —  Not  signed,  but  evidently  by 
Fa41  'All. 

II  (c)  fol.  239&.  Illuminated  title-page  to  the  second  subdivision 
of  the  Shah-namah,  beginning  with  the  story  of 
Luhrasp. 

33  fol.  244&.       Gushtasp  killing  a  dragon.    Signed  by  Facjl 

^Ah. 

34  fol.  278a.      A  meeting  of  Asfandiar  and  Rustam,  after  their 

combat.    Signed  Facjl  'Ali. 

35  fol.  282^1.      Rustam  falls  into  a  spiked  pit  dug  in  the  hunting- 

ground  by  his  half-brother  Shaghad,  the  king  of 
Qabul;  but  from  the  pit  he  transfixes  Shaghad 
through  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  behind  which  the  latter 
had  taken  refuge.  The  signature  appears  to  be 
missing,  but  the  work  is  plainly  that  of  Fadl  'Ali. 

36  fol.  292a.      The  death  of  Darius,  and  the  lament  of  Alexander. 

Signed  Fadl  'All. 

37  fol.  299^.      Alexander  and  Khicjr  at  the  Fountain  of  Life. 

(In  the  picture  Alexander  rides  a  white  mare  accom- 


38 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


panied  by  her  foal ;  and  Khi(Jr  is  mounted  on  a 
mule ;  to  be  observed  also  are  the  flag-bearer  and 
torch-carrier.) 

38  fol.  3316.       Bahram  Gur  in  company  with  his  mistress  Fitnah, 

or  Azadah,  who  plays  on  the  harp  while  he  trans- 
fixes the  gazelle's  hoof  to  its  ear.    Signed  Facjl  'Ali. 

39  fol.  338a.       Bahram  Gur  hunting  lions.    Not  signed,  but 

plainly  the  work  of  Fa(Jl  'Ali. 

40  fol.  347a.       Bahram  Gur  kills  a  dragon.    Signed  by  Fa(}l 

'All. 

41  fol.  354a.       Bahram  kills  another  dragon.    Signed  by  Fadl 

'  'All. 

42  fol.  422a.       Combat  between  Khusrau  and  Bahram  Chubinah. 

Signed  Facjl  'All,  1140  (for  1104;  see  page  34). 


Firdausi :  Shah-namah.  —  A  large-sized  copy  of  the  great  epic, 
belonging  possibly  to  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, or  to  the  early  seventeenth  century,  and  carrying  the 
heroic  story  down  through  Alexander's  death.  It  is  hand- 
somely illuminated  and  is  illustrated  by  twenty-eight 
miniatures.  The  embossed  covers  of  the  binding  are  worthy 
of  mention. 

Size.  —  iSf  X  12I  in.  (46.6  X  31.6  cm.).  Height  and  width  of 
written  page,  respectively,  12  X  7I  in.  (30.5  X  19.3  cm.). 
Folios  579.  The  .manuscript  comprises  about  47,500 
couplets.    One  leaf  is  missing  between  folios  392  and  393. 

Binding.  —  Strongly  bound  in  olive-brown  leather,  apparently 
camel's  hide,  with  flap-cover,  and  heavily  embossed  with 
designs  in  gold.  The  covers  are  the  original  ones,  although 
the  manuscript  has  been  bound  a  second  time,  and  the 
workmanship  on  both  covers  is  alike  in  all  respects. 


Faridun's  Grief  at  the  Murder  of  his  Sox,  Iraj 
Painting  by  'Ali  Naqi,  Ms.  No.  4,  fol.  246  (see  page  35) 


FIRDAUSI 


39 


The  outside  covers  are  stamped  with  a  double  border 
that  incloses  a  scene  representing  trees  and  shrubs  in  bloom, 
with  various  animals  and  birds,  such  as  lions,  gazelles,  deer, 
foxes,  a  wild  boar,  storks,  and  jackdaws.  One  of  the  lions 
is  in  the  act  of  killing  a  wild  ram ;  there  is  also  a  brook  with 
a  duck  and  a  crane.  The  marginal  borders  show  panel 
designs  with  flowers,  birds,  and  heads  of  lions  impressed  in 
gold. 

The  inside  covers  have  a  highly  ornate  arabesque  design, 
rich  in  gold  and  color,  in  a  setting  of  dark  red  leather.  The 
central  field  is  oblong  in  shape,  with  gold  tooled  circular 
designs  upon  a  background  of  various  colors,  green,  orange, 
deep  blue,  and  white.  The  outer  border  has  paneled  work 
of  a  similar  nature  and  like  colors,  except  the  orange ;  the 
inner  border  is  a  broad  gold  band  with  a  running  design. 

The  flap-cover  is  ornamented  inside  and  out  in  such  a  way 
as  to  match  exactly  the  respective  designs  on  the  exterior 
and  interior  binding.  On  the  back  of  the  flap,  handsomely 
inscribed  in  gold  panels,  is  the  following  quatrain :  — 

*  Blessings  upon  the  soul  of  Firdausi, 
Who  was  of  sacred  and  happy  origin  ! 
He  was  not  a  mere  teacher  and  we  his  pupils ; 
He  was  a  lord  and  we  his  servants!  * 

In  a  golden  brooch-shaped  panel  between  the  two  halves  of 
this  quatrain  is  added  the  invocation,  *  The  mercy  of  God 
(be  upon  him)  ! ' 

Although  the  manuscript  has  undergone  rebinding,  the 
edges  of  the  pages  have  not  been  especially  trimmed,  except 
the  first  foKo,  which  was  slightly  cut  down  when  it  was 
repaired  by  a  sheet  pasted  on  the  back  of  it,  as  explained 
below.  The  fact  that  the  edges  of  the  folios  are  gilded  — 
a  feature  not  common  in  Persian  manuscripts  —  is  worth 


4P 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


mentioning,  and  this  may  well  be  a  later  addition.  For 
the  purpose  of  protecting  the  miniatures,  thin  paper  inserts 
have  been  pasted  between  the  folios  that  contain  illus- 
trations, but  some  of  the  paintings  had  previously  been 
slightly  marred.  For  convenience  in  finding  the  pictures, 
tabs  with  small  ribbons  attached  have  been  added  to  the 
margins  of  the  folios  concerned. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Written  in  a  beautiful  Nasta'liq  hand 
of  a  rather  large  size,  21  lines  to  the  page  in  four  columns, 
with  marginal  rulings  of  gold  and  blue.  The  paper  is  of 
an  excellent  quality  and  of  a  light  cream  color,  with  a  dull 
finish,  slightly  resembling  parchment.  In  composition,  the 
paper  is  exceptionally  even,  and  might  be  placed  approxi- 
mately at  a  sixty-five  pound  basis.  The  wire-marks  usually 
show  a  wide  sweeping  curve.  The  two  heavy  fly-leaves 
at  the  front  and  back  are  pink  on  the  outer  side  and  are 
outlined  by  broad  gold  rulings.  The  other  two  thin  fly- 
leaves front  and  back,  due  also  to  rebinding,  are  of  fight- 
weight  European  paper.  The  first  folio  has  been  repaired 
by  a  sheet  pasted  on  the  back.  This  can  be  clearly  seen  hy 
holding  the  leaf  up  to  the  light.  It  contained  the  conclusion 
of  a  lost  Preface,  at  the  end  of  which  was  a  flowered  design 
similar  to  those  on  fol.  167a,  539a. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  No  name  or  date  is  given,  and  there  is  no 
colophon  at  the  end  of  the  work ;  but  judging  from  the  style 
of  the  writing  and  the  old  cover  bindings,  the  manuscript 
probably  belongs  to  the  late  sixteenth  or  early  seventeenth 
century.  In  either  case  the  date  can  hardly  be  far  removed 
from  1600  A.D. 

Memorandums.  —  There  are  no  Persian  seals  or  memorandums ; 
their  absence  may  possibly  be  accounted  for  in  part  by  the 
loss  of  the  Preface,  as  noted  in  the  next  paragraph.  There 
is,  however,  a  marginal  jotting  in  Turkish  on  fol.  39a  record- 


FIRDAUSi 


41 


ing  that  the  order  in  a  couplet,  which  is  wrongly  repeated 
on  the  next  page,  would  be  better  if  reversed ;  there  is  also 
a  variant  reading  inserted  on  the  margin  of  fol.  56^  and 
the  restoration  of  a  verse  omitted  at  the  top  of  fol.  sya. 
On  the  fly-leaves  there  are  pencil-notes  of  no  importance. 
Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  epic  down  to  the  death  of 
Alexander  the  Great.  The  manuscript  once  had  a  Preface, 
the  conclusion  of  which  can  still  be  seen  on  the  back  of  the 
first  folio,  which  has  had  a  page  pasted  over  it,  as  ex- 
plained above  under  ^  Writing  and  Paper,'  but  the  preced- 
ing part  of  this  introduction  has  been  lost.  There  are  four 
great  divisions  of  the  poem,  marked  by  illuminated  half 
title-pages,  as  follows:  I  (fol.  ih-i^'ja).  First  part. — II 
(fol.  1676-452^).  *  Book  of  Kai  Khusrau.'  —  III  (fol.  452&- 
539a).  ^  Book  of  Bahman.'  —  IV  (fol.  5396-579(2) .  ^  Book 
of  Alexander.' 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  There  are  four  heavily  adorned 
'unwans,  or  title-pieces,  to  introduce  the  several  divisions 
of  the  poem,  the  predominating  decoration  being  in  gold 
and  blue.  The  numerous  small  caption-bands  that  head 
the  different  sections  of  the  epic  narrative  and  occupy  the 
space  of  two  couplets  in  the  two  middle  columns,  are  left 
uncolored,  but  are  inscribed  in  gold  letters,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  introductory  one  (fol.  ih)  which  is  gold  and  is 
inscribed  in  light  blue  characters.  Particularly  graceful 
are  the  flowered  designs  at  the  close  of  the  first  division 
(fol.  167a)  and  the  third  division  (fol.  539a) ;  another  one 
of  these  (fol.  la),  at  the  end  of  the  practically  lost  Preface, 
occupied  the  back  of  the  opening  page,  but  has  been  pasted 
over,  as  explained  above  under  '  Writing  and  Paper.'  Gold 
sprinkling  has  been  applied  as  an  added  embellishment  on 
the  two  opening  pages  of  the  first  two  divisions  of  the  poem 
(fol.  ih-2a\  1676-168^),  as  made  in  this  manuscript. 


42 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


There  are  twenty-eight  large  miniatures,  each  occupying 
most  of  the  page.  Their  general  style  resembles  that  of 
the  period  to  which  the  manuscript  has  been  assigned  above, 
and  the  Mongolian  touch  is  still  easily  recognizable.  No 
artist's  name  is  found  on  any  one,  but  a  large  number  of 
them  are  plainly  by  the  same  painter,  who  in  eight  cases 
has  added  two  banneret  flags  in  the  margin  above  the 
picture;  a  possible  exception  to  such  identity  in  manner 
of  workmanship  in  the  paintings  so  marked  is  found  in  the 
miniature  on  fol.  306a,  which,  although  it  has  two  banners, 
differs  somewhat  in  style.  In  the  case  of  the  only  two  paint- 
ings which  run  over  the  side  margins,  namely  fol.  220a, 
375(z,  the  work  appears  to  be  the  execution  of  a  single 
brush,  though  of  still  another  artist ;  further  proof  of  this 
is  given  by  the  beardless  portrait  of  Rustam,  as  contrasted 
with  all  other  representations  of  that  hero  in  the  book. 

(a)  fol.   lb.      Illuminated  title-piece. 

1  fol.   4b.       Kaiumars,  the  first  ruler  of  Iran. 

2  fol.  156.       Faridun  overcomes  Dahhak,  the  fiendish  ruler 

of  Babylon  and  Arabia,  and  imprisons  him  in  chains 
on  Mount  Alburz. 

3  fol.  22b.      Iraj  slain  by  his  brothers  Tur  and  Salm. 

4  fol.  S2b.      The  fabulous  bird  Simurgh  brings  back  the 

youthful  hero  Zal  to  his  father  Sam. 

5  fol.  52a.      The  identification  of  this  miniature  is  not  quite 

certain.  Apparently  it  represents  a  scene  of  anger 
between  Mihrab  and  his  wife  Sindukht,  when  he 
learned  of  their  daughter's  love  for  Zal  (Vullers, 
I.  180-184 ;  tr.  Warner,  i.  284-287) ;  but  if  so, 
the  miniature  is  somewhat  misplaced,  as  it  is 
located  in  a  passage  describing  a  later  incident, 
namely  the  birth  of  their  daughter's  child,  the 
hero  Rustam  (Vullers,  i.  223-224  ;  tr.  Warner,  i. 
320-321).  If  the  subject  be  Rustam's  birth,  the 
representation  seems  inadequate  in  certain  details. 


riRDAUSI 


43 


6  fol. 

6ga. 

7  fol. 

80a. 

8  fol. 

106a, 

9  fol. 

ii6a. 

lO  fol. 

i45<z. 

II  (b)  fol. 

167&. 

II  fol. 

i68a. 

12  fol. 

2oSa. 

13  fol. 

220a. 

14  fol. 

250&. 

IS 

fol.  2S$a. 

16 

fol.  306a. 

fol.  320fl. 

18 

fol.  35 1^?. 

19 

fol.  375a. 

20 

fol.  419^. 

21 

fol.  449a. 

III  (c) 

fol.  4526. 

22 

fol.  4860^. 

23 

fol.  502&. 

24 

fol.  $i2a. 

Rustam,  though  still  a  youth,  attacks  Afrasiab 
and  lifts  him  from  his  saddle  after  Shamasas  had 
been  slain  by  Qaran. 

Rustam  kills  the  Div-i  Safid,  or  White  Demon, 
in  his  cavern. 

Rustam  lamenting  over  Suhrab,  whom  he  had 
slain,  not  knowing  that  the  youth  was  his  son. 

Siawush  passing  through  the  fire-ordeal  to  prove 
his  innocence  of  the  calumnious  charge  of  being 
in  love  with  Sudabah,  his  stepmother. 

Siawush  slain  by  Gurwi,  the  son  of  Zirah. 

Title-piece  of  the  *Book  of  Khusrau,'  or  second 
division  of  the  poem  made  in  this  manuscript. 

Rustam  and  his  father  Zal  come  to  congratulate 
Kai  Khusrau  on  becoming  king. 

Rustam  kills  Ashkabus  with  an  arrow. 

Rustam  captures  the  Khaqan  of  China. 

Rustam  draws  Bizhan  out  of  the  pit  into  which 
the  Divs  had  thrown  him;  the  demons  in  rage 
watch  from  a  distance. 

Rustam  is  about  to  kill  Barzu,  but  learns  from 
the  latter's  mother  that  Barzu  is  his  grandson. 

Barzu  lassoing  Afrasiab. 

Human  slain  by  the  hand  of  Bizhan. 

Shidah  slain  by  Kai  Khusrau. 

Kai  Khusrau  killing  Afrasiab  and  his  brother 
Garsiwaz. 

Asfandiar,  with  his  lasso,  pulls  Gurgsar  from  his 
horse  and  takes  him  captive. 

Rustam  shooting  Asfandiar  in  the  eyes  with  a 
two-pronged  arrow. 

Title-piece  of  the  ^Book  of  Bahman,'  or  third 
division  in  the  manuscript. 

Rustam  transfixes  Shaghad  with  an  arrow 
through  the  plane-tree  just  before  he  himself  dies. 

Bahman,  the  son  of  Asfandiar,'captures  Faramarz 
and  puts  him  to  death. 

An  illustration  of  the  story  of  how  the  poor 
man's  cow  frightened  away  the  king's  cow. 


44 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


25  fol.  538a.      Bahman  killing  a  dragon. 

IV  (J) fol.  5396.      Title-piece  of  the  'Book  of  Alexander,'  or  fourth 
division  in  the  manuscript. 

26  fol.  550a.      Alexander  at  the  death  of  Darius  III,  who  was 

treacherously  slain  by  two  of  his  own  officers. 

27  fol.  571  (Z.      Alexander  breaking  bread  with  the  Sage  Khijr, 

at  the  Fountain  of  Life. 

28  fol.  578a.      Death  of  Alexander. 


I. 


II 


NIZAMI 


iNIZAMI 


(l  140-1203  A.D.) 

Ni?ami,  the  famous  romantic  poet  of  Persia,  was  born  at  the  city 
of  Ganjah,  which  corresponds  to  the  modern  Elizabetpol  in  Transcau- 
casia, and  was  the  author  of  five  long  poetic  works,  each  a  masterpiece 
in  the  domain  of  the  romantic  epopee.  The  composition  of  these 
poems  covered  a  period  of  more  than  thirty  years,  or  approximately 
1165-1198  A.D.,  and  the  collection  is  commonly  grouped  under  the 
designation  of  Khamsah^  *  Quintet,'  or  Pan]  Ganj,  *Five  Treasures/ 
Some  idea  of  the  nature  of  these  poems  may  be  gleaned  from  their 
titles  and  the  subjects  treated. 

(1)  Makhzan  aUAsrdr,  'Treasure  of  Mysteries'  (about  2300  coup- 
lets), a  mystical  poem  rather  than  a  romance,  but  brightened  by 
numerous  anecdotes  poetically  told.  ' 

(2)  Khusrau  and  Shirin  (about  7000  couplets),  one  of  the  best- 
known  romantic  Persian  poems,  telling  the  story  of  the  Sasanian 
King  Khusrau  Parwiz  II  (ruled  590-628  a.d.)  and  his  love  for  the 
fair  Shirin,  together  with  the  tragic  fate  of  Shirin's  devoted  admirer, 
Farhad,  the  heroic  artist-sculptor. 

(3)  Laild  and  Majnun^  sometimes  called  the  Persian  Romeo  and 
Juliet,  a  pathetic  and  romantic  story  (in  some  4500  couplets)  of  the 
ideal  love  existing  between  the  distraught  Majntin  and  the  beauteous 
Beduin  maid,  Laila,  their  union  being  finally  brought  about  in  Para- 
dise. 

(4)  Haft  Paikar,  or  Bahrdm-ndmah,  'The  Seven  Effigies,' or  *  The 
Story  of  Bahram  and  the  Seven  Princesses,'  a  poetic  composition 
(in  some  5000  couplets),  describing  the  adventures  of  the  Sasanian 
King  Bahram  Gtir  (ruled  420-438  a.d.),  who  discovered  by  chance  on 
the  walls  of  his  palace  the  portraits  of  seven  princesses,  each  the  most 
beautiful  daughter  of  a  different  ruler  of  the  world.  These  he  sub- 
sequently marries,  and  he  visits  them  on  seven  successive  days, 
from  Saturday  till  Friday,  in  their  seven  different  palaces,  which  are 
respectively  decorated  in  a  predominating  color  characteristic  of  the 

47 


48 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


nationality  to  which  the  princess  belonged.  Each  princess  in  turn, 
during  his  visit,  entertains  him  with  some  romantic  tale. 

(5)  Iskandar-ndmahy  'Book  of  Alexander'  (about  10,000  couplets) 
a  legendary  account  of  the  exploits  of  Alexander  the  Great  in  Asia. 
Regarding  this  poem  it  may  be  noted  that  the  manuscripts  of  Nizam! 
which  preserve  the  work  entire  divide  it  into  two  separate  parts,  gen- 
erally entitled :  — 

(a)  Sharaf-ndmah,  a  long  section  narrating  in  romantic  fashion 
the  main  events  of  Alexander's  history. 

(b)  Iqbdl-ndmah,  a  somewhat  fandful  presentation  of  notions 
(current  in  the  Orient)  regarding  Alexander's  views  on  wisdom  and 
concerning  his  later  exploits. 

Sometimes,  however,  the  first  division  is  simply  styled  Iskandar- 
ndmah,  and  the  second  called  Khirad-ndmah-i  Iskandarl. 

For  details  regarding  Nizami's  life  and  works  see  E.  G.  Browne,  Literary 
History  of  Persia,  2.  399-411,  London  and  New  York,  1906;  I.  Pizzi, 
Storia  delta  poesia  persiana,  2.  252-273,  Turin,  1894;  P.  Horn,  Geschichte  der 
persischen  Litteratur,  p.  181-189,  Leipzig,  1901;  H.  Ethe,  Neupersische  Lit^ 
ieratur,  in  Geiger  and  Kuhn's  Grundriss,  2.  241-244.  Partial  translations 
of  Nizami's  works  are  accessible  in  English  and  in  other  languages,  e.g.  by 
Atkinson,  London,  1836  (reprinted  several  times) ;  by  F.  v.  Erdmann 
(Kazan,  1844) ;  F.  Riickert  (Nuremberg,  1824) ;  Wilberforce  Clarke 
(London,  1885).  Compare  likewise  W.  Bacher,  Nizami's  Lehen  und 
Werke,  Leipzig,  1872;  and  Jackson,  article  'Nizami,'  in  Warner,  World's 
Best  Literature,  New  York,  1897. 


NIZAMI 


49 


Nizami :  Khamsah,  *  Quintet/  or  works  complete.  [A  richly 
illuminated  manuscript  of  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury (being  dated  1449-1450  a.d.),  remarkably  well  pre- 
served, and  containing  thirty-one  miniatures. 

Size.  —  loX  6j  in.  (25.5  X  16.0  cm.) ;  written  surface,  7!  X  a\ 
in.  (18.5  X  10.8  cm.).  Folios  394,  the  last  folio,  also  out- 
lined with  gold,  being  left  blank  to  serve  as  a  fly-leaf. 

Binding.  —  Handsomely  bound  in  heavy  lacquer  Persian  bind- 
ing, of  a  dark  green  color  with  borders  of  bronze  gold  and 
shaded  hues.  The  outside  covers  are  due  apparently  to 
a  rebinding.  The  brown  leather  of  the  inside  covers  is 
older  and  may  be  contemporaneous  with  the  age  of  the 
manuscript  itself.  The  field  of  these  in  each  case  is  of 
pressed  leather  with  comer-angle  designs  and  two  small 
vignettes  above  and  below  an  oblong  medallion.  This 
rich  medallion  is  delicately  cut  to  represent  twice,  upon  a 
deep  blue  ground,  a  graceful  Simurgh,  a  fabulous  bird  some- 
what resembling  the  phoenix  or  bird  of  paradise. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Written  in  a  medium-sized  Nasta'liq,  of 
a  handsome  style,  19  lines  to  a  page  in  four  columns,  ruled 
in  gold  with  blue  outline  and  an  extra  marginal  ruling.  The 
vellum  paper  is  of  fine  quality,  though  of  light  weight,  and 
has  but  slight  sheen. 

Date  and  Scribe.  — The  colophon  gives  the  date  as  853  a.h.  = 
1449-1450  A.D.,  but  does  not  name  the  copyist. 

Memorandums.  —  On  the  first  and  second  fly-leaf  and  on  folios 
280a,  391a,  399&  is  stamped  the  seal  of  a  former  owner, 
Muhammad  Husain,  son  of  Muhammad  Ibrahim.  On  fol. 
6a  there  are  several  impressions  of  this  seal  over  each  other. 
On  the  second  fly-leaf  is  a  didactic  couplet  in  Turkish, 
and  near  it  is  a  memorandum,  also  in  Turkish,  to  the  effect 


50 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


that  the  book  is  a  Persian  work.  Adjoining  this  there  is  a 
brief  note  in  Persian,  but  it  has  been  so  obHterated  that 
a  connected  sense  can  not  be  made  out  of  it.  On  the  first 
fly-leaf  there  is  an  English  signature  *  Sidney  I.  A.  Churchill.' 
On  the  last  fly-leaf,  beside  some  pencil  memorandums  in 
Enghsh,  there  is  a  printed  plate,  with  the  words :  '  From 
the  Library  of  Laurence  W.  Hodson,  Compton  Hall,  near 
Wolverhampton.' 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  five  poetical  works  of  Nizami 
complete  and  grouped  as  a  Khamsah,  or  ^  Quintet,'  ar- 
ranged as  follows:  —  L  Makhzan  al-Asrdr,  fol.  15-32&. — 
n.  Khusrau  u  Shtrin,  fol.  336-1176.  —  HI.  Laild  u  Majnun, 
fol.  1186-183^.  — IV.  Haft  Paikar,  fol.  1836-2536.  —  V. 
(a)  First  part  of  the  Book  of  Alexander ,  here  entitled  Sharaf- 
ndmah,  fol.  2546-346^.  —  (6)  Second  part  of  the  Book  of 
Alexander,  here  entitled  Iqhdl-ndmah,  fol.  3466-3936. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  two  illuminated  intro- 
ductory pages  are  highly  ornate,  as  are  the  title-pieces  to 
each  of  the  five  books;  so  also  are  the  flowered  and  geo- 
metrical designs  and  gilded  lettering  at  the  close  of  each 
of  the  poems.  In  addition  to  the  decorative  bands  as 
captions  for  the  sections,  there  are  frequent  ornamental 
arrangements  of  verses  written  at  an  angle  and  embelHshed 
by  tiny  flowers.  There  are  thirty-one  miniatures,  each 
occupying  two-thirds  of  a  page,  though  some  are  larger, 
and  showing  the  style  of  the  period  of  the  Timurids. 
They  are  apparently  the  work  of  two  artists.  <But  Dr. 
Valentiner,  Bull.  Met.  Mus.  of  Art,  8.  80,  prefers  to  regard 
these  miniatures  as  the  work  of  a  single  brush  —  ^  by  an 
artist  not  of  great  refinement,  but  of  vigor  and  entertain- 
ing variety.  The  design  shows  Chinese  influence,  still 
much  in  the  style  of  the  earlier  Mongolian  miniatures  of 
the  fourteenth  century.    The  colors  appear  at  first  profuse 


NIZAMI 


51 


and  almost  offensive  in  their  vividness,  but  a  closer  study 
shows  them  to  be  a  nice  expression  of  the  artist's  tempera- 
ment, and  not  without  brilliant  ideas  and  imagination/ >  ^ 
The  chief  details  as  to  the  subjects  are  as  follows :  — 

I  (a)  fol.  la.  Ornate  title-page  with  a  medallion  in  the  center, 
containing  the  names  of  Ni?ami's  five  works; 
there  are  four  angels  at  the  corners  of  the  page, 
as  if  making  offerings. 
(b)  fol.  ib-2a.  Two  illuminated  title-pages  in  blue  and  gold, 
the  first  giving  the  name  of  Nizami's  earliest  work, 
Makhzan  al-Asrdr^  and  the  second  containing  an 
invocation  of  blessing  upon  the  author. 

1  fol.  4a.         Miniature  illustrating  Muhammad's  ascent  to 

heaven  in  a  vision. 

2  fol.  15a.        Anushirwan  the  Just  (King  Chosroes  I,  531-579 

A.D.)  and  his  Vizir,  who  teaches  the  Kling  a  lesson 
from  the  talk  he  overheard  between  two  owls. 
II  (c)  fol.  336.        Illuminated  'unwan,  or  title-piece  to  Nizami's 
second  work,  Khusrau  and  Shirin. 

3  fol.  56a.        Khusrau  II  (590-628  A.D.)   kills  a  lion  in 

Shirm's  presence. 

4  fol.  Khusrau  victorious  over  Bahram  Chubin. 

5  fol.  76^.        Shirin  and  her  horse  carried  on  the  shoulders  of 

her  sculptor  lover,  Farhad. 

6  fol.  87a.        Khusrau  arrives  at  Shirm's  palace  as  she  stands 

in  the  balcony.  (The  Arabic  inscription  under 
the  balcony  refers  to  the  King.) 

7  fol.  104a.       Khusrau  and  Shirin  united  in  wedlock. 

Ill  {d)  fol.  1 186.      Decorative  title-piece  to  Laild  and  Majnun. 

8  fol.  1306.      Laila  and  Majnun  as  children  neglected  their 

lessons  to  indulge  in  love-making. 

9  fol.  135a.      Majnun's  father  takes  the  lovelorn  youth  on  a 

pilgrimage  to  Mecca  in  hopes  to  restore  his 
reason. 

^Angles  <  >  are  used  to  indicate  that  the  matter  so  inclosed  is  based 
on  published  material  by  Martin  or  by  Valentiner  that  became  accessible 
after  '  copy '  was  ready  to  go  to  press. 


52 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


10  fol.  142a.       Naufal,  the  Arab  chieftain,  champions  Majnun's 

cause  in  battle. 

11  fol.  147^.       Majnun  gives  himself  as  a  prisoner  to  an  old 

woman  in  order  to  release  a  man  who  was  her 
captive. 

12  fol.  1546.       Majnun  mourns  his  father's  death. 

13  fol.  163a.       Majniin's  mother  visits  him  in  the  wilderness 

shortly  before  she  dies. 

14  fol.  173&.       Laila  and  Majnun,  long  separated,  swoon  when 

they  meet. 

15  fol.  178a.       Majnun  mourning  at  Laila's  tomb. 

16  fol.  181&.      Laila  and  Majnun  united  in  Paradise,  as  seen  in 

a  vision  by  Zaid. 
IV  (e)  fol.  183&.      Decorative  head-piece  to  the  Haft  Paikar. 

17  fol.  2026.       Bahram  Gur  transfixes  a  deer's  foot  to  its  ear 

with  an  arrow  in  the  presence  of  his  sweetheart 
Fitnah,  who  plays  the  harp.  (Reference  has  been 
made  above  to  this  story  also  in  Firdausi.) 

18  fol.  2ocih.      Bahram  and  the  Indian  Princess  in  the  Black 

Palace  on  Saturday. 

19  fol.  217a.       Bahram  and  the  Chinese  (?)  Princess  in  the 

Yellow  Palace  on  Sunday. 

20  fol.  220&.      Bahram  and  the  Khwarazmian  (?)  Princess  in 

the  Green  Palace  on  Monday. 

21  fol.  224&.      Bahram  and  the  Russian  Princess  in  the  Red 

Palace  on  Tuesday. 

22  fol.  228(Z.      Bahram  and  the  Persian  Princess  in  the  Tur- 

quoise Palace  on  Wednesday. 

23  fol.  234^.       Bahram  and  the  Moorish  ( ?)  Princess  in  the 

Sandal  Palace  on  Thursday. 

24  fol.  240a.      Bahram  and  the  Byzantine  Princess  in  the  White 

Palace  on  Friday. 
V-^  (/)  fol.  254&.      Decorative  head-piece  to  the  First  Section  of 
the  Book  of  Alexander — the  section  being  here 
entitled  Sharaf-ndmah. 

25  fol.  270^.      Battle  between  Alexander  and  the  ZangTs  (Ethio- 

pians or  Egyptians). 

26  fol.  2946.       Alexander  and  the  daughter  of  Darius  III  united 

in  marriage. 


NIZAMI 


53 


27  fol.  322a.      Discussion  in  Alexander's  presence  about  the 

difference  between  Occidental  and  Oriental  art. 
The  Byzantine  and  Chinese  painters  vie  in  a  trial 
of  skill,  and  the  former  use  mirrors  (shown  in  the 
side  panels  of  the  picture)  to  reflect  the  art  of  the 
latter. 

28  fol.  3325.      Alexander's  combat  against  the  Russians. 

29  fol.  3426.      Alexander  visits  the  Land  of  Darkness  in  search 

of  the  Fountain  of  Life. 
(g)  fol.  S46b.      Decorative  title-piece  to  the  Second  Section  of 
the  Book  of  Alexander  J  here  called  Iqbdl-ndmah. 

30  fol.  3586.      Alexander  and  the  Seventy  Wise  Men  of  Greece. 

31  fol.  384a.      Alexander's  return  from  the  East  to  the  North 

and  his^shutting  out  Gog  and  Magog  by  a  wall. 


Nizami :  Khamsah,  *  Quintet,'  or  works  complete.  A  handsome 
manuscript  of  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  being 
dated  1509-15 10  A.D.,  with  richly  illuminated  introductory 
pages  and  title-pieces  and  with  nineteen  miniatures. 

Size.  —  ii|  X  7  in.  (29.2  X  17.8  cm.) ;  written  space,  7f  X  4  in. 
(19.6  X  10.4  cm.).  Folios  357 ;  one  leaf  is  missing  between 
folios  164  and  165,  and  one  between  folios  311  and  312. 

Binding.  —  Original  Persian  flap-binding  of  dark  maroon  leather 
heavily  embossed  with  gold.  The  ornamentation  on  both 
of  the  outer  covers  is  alike  and  shows  a  field  decorated  with 
an  elaborate  tendril  design  impressed  upon  the  leather  and 
gilded.  This  is  framed  by  a  border  of  flowered  panels  and 
is  inclosed  by  a  narrow  gold  band  in  the  style  of  a  Grecian 
border.  In  two  long  gilded  panels  above  and  below  the 
inner  field  there  is  beautifully  stamped  a  quotation  from 
Nizami's  dedication  of  his  Makhzan  aUAsrdr  to  Fakhr  ad- 


54 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


Dm  Bahram-Shah  (see  fol.  8a  of  the  manuscript).  They  re- 
late to  the  mystic  power  of  the  Word,  or  Divine  Revelation : — 

'There  is  nothing  superior  to  the  Word  (Revelation). 
The  fortune  of  this  world  depends  only  upon  the  Word ; 
As  long  as  the  sound  of  a  word  exists, 
May  Ni?anii's  name  remain  fresh  through  the  word.' 

The  inner  covers  present  a  good  example  of  the  typical 
combination  of  cut-out  leather  work  and  blind  pressing 
common  in  ornamental  Persian  bindings.  The  main  design 
is  given  by  a  figure  of  dull  red  leather  laid  upon  a  blue 
ground,  the  central  feature  being  a  large  medallion  with 
a  pendant  above  and  below  it,  and  outlined  with  an  artistic 
and  intricate  pattern  of  gold  and  black  tracery.  The  corner 
angles  and  side-pieces  are  similar,  and  the  whole  has  a  double 
gold  cording  as  a  border.  The  flap  cover  is  identical  with 
the  other  two  in  all  details. 
Writing  and  Paper.  —  Small  Nasta'liq  hand  of  fine  quality,  21 
lines  to  a  page  in  four  gold-ruled  columns,  with  gold  and 
blue  outline.  The  paper  is  of  medium  weight,  cream- 
colored,  and  has  a  slight  sheen.  The  fly-leaves  are  of  a 
different  quality  and  are  modern,  being  due  to  a  repairing 
of  the  binding. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  two  dates  given  by  the  scribe  show  that 
the  copying  of  the  manuscript  occupied  more  than  four 
months.  At  the  end  of  fol.  31a,  when  the  transcribing  of 
the  Makhzan  al-Asrdr  was  completed,  he  noted  the  date  as 
'  the  twentieth  of  Jumada  II  in  the  year  nine  hundred  and 
fifteen  [  =  Oct.  5,  1509  a.d.].'  In  the  colophon  on  fol. 
357a  he  gives  the  day  of  completing  the  work  as  'Salasa 
24  Shawwal  in  the  year  nine  hundred  and  fifteen  [  =  Tues- 
day, Feb.  4, 1 5 10  A.D.].'  He  adds  his  name  as  Na'im  ad-Din, 
the  Scribe.  No  place  is  mentioned,  but  undoubtedly  this 
is  the  same  person  as  Na'im  ad-Din,  the  Scribe,  of  Shiraz, 


Naufal,  the  Arab  Chieftain,  championing  the  Cause  of  Majnun 
Ms.  No.  7,  fol.  130a  (see  page  56) 


NIZAMI 


55 


who  nine  years  earlier  (August  7,  1501)  finished  copying 
another  manuscript  of  Nizamfs  Khamsah,  cf.  Sachau  and 
Ethe,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss.  Bodl.  Lib.,  col.  490,  no.  587. 

Memorandums.  —  On  the  blank  side  of  the  first  folio  near  the 
top  there  is  a  Persian  memorandum  taken  from  the  illu- 
minated head-line  of  the  next  page,  *  the  method  of  string- 
ing of  pearls/  and  thus  indicating  that  the  work  is  a  poetical 
one.  Below  is  a  memorandum  in  Arabic  recording  that  the 
book  was  *  owned  by  Isma^il  'Asim,  son  of  Chalabi  Zadah, 
the  Governor,  who  had  a  valiant,  brilliant,  pure,  and  victori- 
ous administration.  May  God  Almighty  maintain  his 
rank,  and  respect  his  justice  !^  Some  obhterated  Persian 
words  in  another  jotting  indicate  that  the  name  of  a  former 
owner  has  been  erased.  On  p.  8  is  impressed  a  seal  con- 
taining the  imperial  monogram  and  date  of  '  Sultan  Ahmad, 
1115  A.H.  [=  1703  A.D.],'  showing  that  the  book  once 
belonged  to  that  Turkish  ruler.  A  small  oval  seal  on  the 
last  page  has  been  obliterated  so  that  it  cannot  be  read. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  five  poetic  romances  of  Nizami 
as  described  above:  —  I.  Makhzan  al-Asrdr,  fol.  ib-^ia.  — 
II.  Khusrau  u  Shlrin,  fol.  31&-108&.  —  III.  Laild  u  Majnun, 
fol.  1096-164&.  —  IV.  Haft  Paikar,  fol.  165^^  (preceding  fol. 
lost)-228a.  —  V.  (a)  Book  of  Alexander,  first  portion,  here 
entitled  Shar of -ndmah,  fol.  229&-311&.  —  (b)  Second  portion 
of  same,  or  Iqbdl-ndmah,  occupies  fol.  S^ib-^sja,  but  the 
decorative  title-piece  is  missing,  owing  to  the  loss  of  the 
folio  between  311  and  312. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  In  addition  to  the  richly 
illuminated  title-pieces  introducing  the  separate  books, 
there  are  decorative  bands  as  captions  to  the  sections  of 
each  poem  with  numerous  ornamental  floweret  designs 
and  nineteen  fine  miniatures  in  the  style  of  the  Safavid 
period  to  illustrate  the  work.    They  seem,  as  a  whole,  to 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


be  the  work  of  a  single  artist,  and  in  size  they  average 
about  three-quarters  of  a  page.  <  Miniature  no.  7  has  been 
selected  for  reproduction  by  Valentiner,  Bull.  MetropoL 
Museum  of  Arty  8.  83. >    The  subjects  are  as  follows :  — 

(a^-a?)  fol.  ib-$a.  Two  exquisitely  illuminated  introductory 
pages  to  Makhzan  al-Asrar  with  rich  colors 
of  blue  and  gold,  and  showing  four  ornate 
medallions  that  give  the  name  of  Ni?ami  as 
author  and  praise  him  in  highest  terms. 

1  fol.  16a,      An  old  widowed  woman  complains  to  Sultan 

San  jar  of  ill-treatment  by  one  of  his  officers. 
{h)  fol.  316.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  i^L^w^mw  ^/ffrm. 

2  fol.  466.      King  Khusrau  catches  sight  of  Shirin  bathing 

in  a  pool. 

3  fol.  72&.      ShMn   goes  to   see   the  wonderful  rock- 

carvings  (near  Kirmanshah)  by  the  sculptor 
Farhad,  her  admirer.  (In  the  tiny  pictures  on 
the  rocks  in  the  painting  is  the  rimed  couplet : 
*If  you  had  real  love  for  Shirin,  you  would  not 
see  her  picture  in  the  eyes  of  men.') 

4  fol.  81&.      Khusrau  comes  to  the  Palace  of  Shirin  as  she 

stands  in  the  balcony  window.  (The  arabesque 
inscription  over  the  doorway  calls  him  *the 
Just  King.') 

5  fol.  95&.      Khusrau  and  Shirin  united  in  wedlock.  (The 

arabesque  over  the  door  is  the  same  as  the 
preceding.) 

ic)  fol.  1096.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  Laild  and  Majnun. 

6  fol.  1 20a.      As  children  Laila  and  Majniin  neglect  their 

studies  to  devote  their  hearts  to  each  other. 

7  fol.  130a.      Naufal,  the  Arab  chieftain,  champions  in 

battle  the  cause  of  the  love-distraught  Majnun. 
<Now  reproduced  in  Bull,  MetropoL  Museum 
of  Art,  ^2>-> 

8  fol.  1335.      An  old  woman  leads  in  chains  the  lovelorn 

Majnun,  who  has  sacrificed  himself  to  free  a 
man  whom  she  had  taken  prisoner. 


King  Khusrau  seated  on  his  Throne 
Painting  by  Mirak,  Ms.  No.  8,  fol.  64a  (see  page  65) 


NIZAMI 


57 


9  fol.  1566.      The  chaste  meeting  of  Laila  and  Majnun. 

Both  swoon  at  seeing  each  other  after  their  long 
separation. 

IV     1(d)  fol.  between  164  and  165  missing.    Decorative  title-page 
to  Haft  Paikar  is  thereby  lost.] 

10  fol.  180&.      BahramGur  saves  his  crown  by  killing  two  lions. 

11  fol.  1846.      Bahram  Gtir's  sweetheart,  FitnahC  Mischief '), 

performs  the  feat  of  climbing  a  ladder  with  a  cow 
on  her  shoulder.  (This  incident  is  a  familiar 
story  in  the  Persian  accounts  of  Bahram.)  The 
inscription  on  the  door  calls  him '  the  Just  King.' 

12  fol.  196a.      Bahram  visits  the  Princess  of  the  Yellow 

Palace  on  Sunday. 

13  fol.  202(Z.      Bahram  visits  the  Russian  Princess  in  the 

Red  Palace  on  Tuesday.  (The  title  'the  Just 
King'  is  seen  in  the  inscription  over  the  doors.) 

14  fol.  2216.      Bahram  learns  a  lesson  about  his  unfaithful 

vizir  from  the  action  of  an  old  shepherd  who 
punished  his  sheep-dog  that  was  unfaithful  to 
the  charge  of  the  flocks. 
V-^  (e)  fol.  228^.  Decorative  head-piece  to  the  First  Section  of 
the  Book  of  Alexander  J  here  called  Sharaf-ndmaM 
Iskandari.  There  is  no  title-piece  to  the 
Second  Section  (or  Igbdl),  as  the  folio  that  con- 
tained it  is  missing  between  folios  311  and  312. 

15  fol.  2586.      Death  of  Darius  III  (Dara)  in  the  presence 

of  Alexander,  who  then  leads  to  execution  the 
two  treacherous  assassins  of  the  monarch. 

16  fol.  2716.      Alexander,   disguised   as   a   legate,  visits 

Queen  Nushabah,  who  recognizes  him  and 
proves  the  fact  by  his  portrait,  which  she  had. 

17  fol.  291  J.      Alexander's  visit  to  the  Khaqan  of  China. 
[(/)  The  decorative  title-piece  to  the  Second  Section 

of  the  Book  of  Alexander  is  missing  through  the 
loss,  already  noted,  of  a  folio  between  311-312.] 

18  fol.  318a.      Alexander  learns  from  a  shepherd  the  gate 

by  which  to  enter  the  city.  (*The  Just  King' 
is  inscribed  over  the  door.) 

19  fol.  330a.      Alexander  consulting  the  Seven  Wise  Men. 


58 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


8 

Nizami :  Khamsah,  or  works  complete.  A  magnificent  manu- 
script of  the  early  sixteenth  century,  being  dated  as  com- 
pleted in  1525  A.D.,  and  copied  by  the  famous  calligraphist 
Sultan  Muhammad  Ntir ;  it  is  adorned  with  fifteen  exquisite 
miniatures,  specimens  of  the  finest  workmanship  of  the 
contemporary  Bahzad  school.  < These  masterpieces  are 
now  assigned  by  Martin,  Miniature  Painting,  vol.  i,  p.  52,  to 
the  renowned  Mirak,  ^  the  Carpaccio  of  the  East,'  who  ranks 
highest  among  all  Persian  painters  except  Bahzad,  and 
appears  to  have  been  a  pupil  of  that  teacher.  Regarding 
this  superb  codex,  which  came  from  the  library  of  the  Saf avid 
kings  of  Persia  and  was  among  the  treasures  of  the  later 
Shahs,  Dr.  Martin  writes  that  it  '  is  second  to  none  of  the 
same  period;  there  are  certainly  larger  ones  in  existence, 
but  none  of  finer  quality,  with  such  a  profusion  of  archi- 
tecture and  such  charming  colouring ;  furthermore,  it  is  in 
perfect  condition,  and  in  a  splendid  contemporary  binding.' 
Cf.  also  Martin,  op.  cit.,  i.  116. >  Particularly  noticeable 
also  is  the  gold-frosted  paper  with  a  different  marginal 
color  for  each  of  the  five  romantic  poems.  The  original 
flap-cover  binding  furnishes  a  fine  example  of  Persian  art 
in  that  line  of  production. 

Size.  —  i2f  X  8f  in.  (32.6  X  22.4  cm.) ;  written  space,  7X4! 
in.  (17.8  X  12.0  cm.).  Folios  368.  There  are  missing  one 
folio  between  89  and  90  and  two  folios  between  176  and  177. 

Binding.  —  Original  Persian  flap-binding  of  brown  leather 
highly  decorated.  The  outside  covers,  and  the  flap  to 
match,  are  gilded  and  elegantly  embossed  with  scenes  com- 
prising trees,  deer,  hares,  monkeys,  storks,  wild  ducks,  a 
dragon,  and  the  fabulous  Simurgh  bird.  The  inside  covers, 
including  the  interior  of  the  flap,  are  equally  beautiful,  and 


59 


furnish,  for  the  period  to  which  the  manuscript  belongs, 
a  fine  example  of  the  Oriental  bookbinder's  art  in  applying 
exquisitely  cut-out  leather  designs  upon  a  background  of 
color.  In  each  case  the  inner  field  presents  a  rich  blue  basis 
embelKshed  by  a  delicately  perforated  central  medallion 
of  gilded  and  bronzed  leather,  with  smaller  vignettes  of 
similar  traceries  above  and  below  it ;  and  surrounding  this 
is  a  pressed  leather  design  of  a  deep  red  color,  set  off  by 
corner  angles  filled  with  a  network  of  kindred  gold  and 
brown  traceries  cut  out  of  the  leather.  The  whole  inner 
field  in  these  is  framed  by  a  narrow  gold  border  with  a  run- 
ning tendril  design.  The  outer  margin  of  the  field  is  pecu- 
liarly ornate,  as  it  consists  of  a  series  of  light  blue  panels 
interrupted  by  oHve  green  vignettes,  and  each  of  these 
panels  contains  a  Persian  verse  most  delicately  tooled  in  the 
leather  and  gilded. 

The  contents  of  these  verses  in  the  panels  beginning  at 
the  upper  right-hand  corner  of  the  front  cover  and  reading 
to  the  left  and  then  down  is  as  follows :  — 


Front  cover  (beginning  in  the  upper  right  corner). 
Panel   i.    'This  book  is  an  ornament  of  the  page  of  time. 
Panel   2.    The  merit  of  the  book  is  suited  to  the  quality  of  the 
reader. 

Panel  3.    For  each  small  detail  of  it  the  artist  has  procured  limpid 
gold. 

Panel  4.    The  sky  became  mother  of  pearl,  the  sun  was  made 
Saturn, 

Panel  5.    By  the  cover  bound  upon  its  soft  face. 

Panel  6.    For  lovers  each  leaf  (of  the  book)  is  a  new  chapter. 

Panel  7.    Its  composition  is  a  Treasury  of  the  Secrets  of  Wisdom 

—  {Makhzan  al-Asrdr). 
Panel  8.    In  wisdom  the  book  is  deeper  than  the  pearl  of  pure 

water. 

Panel  9.   It  is  the  perfect  verse  of  an  intimate  friend. 


6o 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


Panel  lo.    It  brings  a  hundred  ideas,  but  speaks  only  that  which 
is  true. 

Back  cover  (beginning  at  the  top). 
Panel  ii.    Sometimes   the   tongue  of  the  lovelorn  lover  {i.e. 

KJhusrau)  speaks; 
Panel  12.    At  other  times  a  charming  word  from  the  lips  of  the 

beloved  {i.e.  Shirin)  is  unveiled ; 
Panel  13.    It  scatters  sweetness  over  the  memory  of  Khusrau 

and  Shirin. 

Panel  14.    It  describes  the  story  of  Laild  and  MajnUn  as  a  pearl 
of  pure  water. 

Panel  15.    It  gives  a  description  of  Iskandar  (Alexander  the  Great), 

Panel  16.    And  of  how  he  ultimately  left  this  ruined  world ; 

Panel  17.    Finally  it  explains  his  kindness  and  virtues. 

Panel  18.    Beyond  measure  and  great  is  the  amount 

Panel  19.    Of  the  beautiful  writing  on  its  rose  leaves ; 

Panel  20.    It  is  a  rare  picture  delineated,  as  it  were,  by  the  pen  of 

Providence  upon  the  water. 
Flap  cover  —  side  (beginning  in  the  lower  right  corner). 
Panel  21.    May  these  beautiful  pages  and  their  unparalleled  script 
Panel  22.    Grant  light  to  the  pupil  of  the  eye  of  the  Writer ; 
Panel  23.    And  with  it  sweet  virtues  and  comfort. 
Panel  24.    The  veil  is  raised  from  his  face,  in  hope 
Panel  25.    That  from  the  Asaf  of  the  time  he  may  obtain  a  glance 

and  may  gain 
Flap  cover  —  back. 

Panel  26.    From  that  glance  everlasting  joy. 

Panel  27.    By  the  gift  of  God  may  the  prosperity  of  his  fortune  be 

everlasting ; 

Panel  28.    And  may  the  prayers  from  the  lips  of  the  people  be 
accepted.' 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  The  writing  is  a  beautiful  Nasta^liq  of  • 
a  medium  size  and  is  worthy  of  the  renown  of  the  eminent 
calligraphist  Sultan  Muhammad  Nur,  who  executed  it,  as 
stated  below.  It  may  be  worth  noting  that  the  letter  jim 
is  written  throughout  instead  of  chlm.  The  paper  is  of 
a  remarkable  quality,  heavy  in  weight,  and  the  portions  of 


KlN(}  KlIUSRAU  AND  HIS  BkIDE  SlIIRlN 

raintiiig  by  Mirak,  Ms.  No.  8,  fol.  lOU  (see  page 


NIZAMI 


6l 


the  pages  containing  the  writing  are  so  skilfully  inset  into 
the  borders  as  almost  to  defy  detection,  yet  the  fact  that 
they  are  inset  is  proved  by  such  a  foKo  as  143.  At  basis 
both  insets  and  borders  are  a  laid  paper,  pressure  having 
probably  been  apphed  to  give  the  smooth  finish ;  the  borders 
are  slightly  heavier  and  more  opaque  than  the  inset  page. 
For  each  poem  a  different  colored  paper,  always  in  perfect 
harmony  with  the  miniatures,  has  been  employed :  (i)  rich 
cream,  (2)  salmon  pink,  (3)  saffron  yellow,  (4)  delicate 
blue,  (5)  light  cream.  The  whole  is  richly  sprinkled  with 
flakes  of  gold,  the  written  portion  of  the  page  being  sprinkled 
more  delicately,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  writing. 
Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  date  of  completion  of  the  copying  is 
given  in  the  colophon  as  931  a.h.  =  1524-1525  a.d.  The 
same  year,  Rajab  931  a.h.  =  April-May,  1525,  is  found  also 
inserted  in  the  inscription  across  the  miniature  on  fol.  104^, 
as  noted  below.  The  name  of  the  scribe  is  given  in  the 
colophon,  where  the  copyist  speaks  of  the  work  as  being 
'  finished  with  God's  help  by  the  hand  of  the  poor  and 
obscure  Sultan  Muhammad  Nur.'  This  well-known  callig- 
raphist  was  the  son  of  the  famous  penman  Mashhadi,  and 
was  a  pupil  of  his  father,  who  lived  at  the  court  of  Tamer- 
lane's great-grandson,  the  Sultan  Husain  Baiqara  (who 
ruled  at  Herat,  1469-1506).  Muhammad  Nur  was  a  con- 
temporary of  the  celebrated  miniaturist  Bahzad  and  is 
known  to  have  copied  a  poem  by  Jami  in  900  a.h.  =  1494 
A.D.,  and  was  himself  something  of  a  poet.  Furthermore, 
it  is  important  to  add  that  the  name  of  still  another  famous 
penman,  Mahmud,  is  inserted  in  an  inscription  in  a  miniature, 
on  fol.  213a,  referring  to  the  gilding  and  the  handwriting 
in  the  miniature  on  that  particular  page  as  being  '  entirely 
the  work  of  Mahmud.'  This  Mahmud  was  likewise  one 
of  the  pupils  of  Mashhadi  and  was  an  eminent  master  of 


62 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


calligraphy  and  gilding,  in  the  time  of  the  Safavid  monarch 
Shah  Isma'il  (d.  1524).  Shah  Isma'il,  on  going  to  war  with 
the  Turkish  sultan  Salim  I,  is  stated  to  have  left  Mahmud 
and  Bahzad  at  home,  saying,  '  If  I  am  conquered  I  do  not 
wish  Shah  Mahmud  of  Nishapur  (his  court  calligraphist) 
and  Master  Bahzad  (the  miniaturist)  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  enemy/  Mahmud's  death  occurred  about  the  year 
1545  A.D.  For  some  account  of  the  persons  mentioned  see 
Huart,.  Les  Calligraphes  et  les  miniaturistes  de  V Orient  mu- 
sulman,  p.  221-226,  Paris,  1908;  cf.  also  Sachau  and 
Ethe,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss,  Bodl.  Lib.,  col.  623,  no.  918;  < com- 
pare now  likewise  Martin,  Miniature  Painting,  i.  41;  the 
reference,  moreover,  which  Martin  {op.  cit.,  1.  117,  11.  3-6) 
makes  to  a  manuscript  written  in  1 502  by  Shah  Mahmud 
may  well  be  connected  with  the  Mahmud  who  has  been 
mentioned  already  as  signing  his  name  in  the  arabesque 
inscription  on  fol.  2i3a.> 
Memorandums.  —  On  the  back  of  the  first  folio  is  a  memoran- 
dum in  Persian  stating :  *  This  book,  the  Khamsah  of 
Nizami,  is  the  gift  of  his  Majesty,  my  father ;  it  came  into 
the  Hbrary  of  his  Highness,  the  noble  Shahzadah  Sultan 
Husain  Mirza,  in  the  month  of  Zihajjah  1260  a.h.  [  =  Dec, 
1844  A.D.].'  Below  this,  twice  repeated,  and  also  on  the  last 
folio  is  stamped  the  oval  seal  of  Sultan  Husain.  This 
governor-prince,  Shahzadah  Sultan  Husain  Mirza,  must 
have  been  (judging  from  the  date)  Prince  Husain  'All 
Mirza,  a  son  of  the  Persian  monarch  Fath  'Ali  Shah,  and 
Governor  of  the  Province  of  Shiraz  (consult  Ker  Porter, 
Travels  in  Persia,  1.  692  ;  2.  508,  London,  1821-1822).  <So 
also  Martin,  Miniature  Painting,  i.  116,  11.  9-1 1.>  The 
seals  of  other  owners  are  obliterated,  as  is  also  the  stamp 
of  a  round  seal  (probably  of  the  first  owner)  which  had  been 
impressed  at  the  top  of  every  folio  throughout  the  book. 


NIZAMI 


63 


On  fol.  178a  is  a  small  square  seal,  the  signet  of  Hidayat, 
who  combines  in  his  seal  the  Arabic  phrase  min  hudd,  ^from 
[God's]  guidance/  choosing  the  latter  word  as  akin  to  his 
name  Hidayat.  It  may  be  noted  that  there  was  a  Persian 
literary  historian  named  Hidayat  Rida  Quli  Khan  who  died 
in  187 1  A.D.,  according  to  Ethe,  Neupersische  Litteratur, 
in  Geiger  and  Kuhn's  Grundriss  der  iranischen  Philologie, 
2.  314.  Furthermore,  on  the  margin  of  fol.  114a  are  two 
brief  phrases  of  benediction  where  the  name  of  Muham- 
mad occurs  in  the  text.  There  are  also  marginal  correc- 
tions or  additions  of  omissions  in  the  text  on  fol.  162a,  197a, 
221&,  222a. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  complete  works  of  Nizami, 
arranged  as  follows :  —  I.  Makhzan  al-Asrdr,  fol.  1&-326.  — 
II.  Khusrau  u  Shirin,  fol.  33&-ii6a. — III.  Laild  u  Majnun, 
fol.  iiyb-i'jSa.  —  IV.  Haft  Paikar,  fol.  179&-2466.  —  V. 
Book  of  Alexander,  the  sections  being  entitled  {a)  Kitdh-i 
Iskandar-ndmah,  fol.  2476-3 285,  and  {h)  Khirad-ndmah-i 
Iskandari,  fol.  3296-368^?. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  two  elegantly  illuminated 
first  pages,  or  'unwans,  with  headlines  and  f ootlines  in  Kufic 
style  of  script,  are  particularly  fine,  as  are  also  the  ornate 
smaller  headings  of  the  separate  books  with  titles  in  Persian 
script.  To  lend  a  decorative  effect,  as  in  other  Persian 
manuscripts,  the  writing  is  often  done  at  an  angle  and 
inclosed  in  parallelograms.  Throughout  the  work  there  are 
likewise  chapter  captions  in  gold. 

The  fifteen  exquisite  miniatures  in  the  codex  are  in  the 
finest  style  of  the  contemporary  school  of  Bahzad,  of  the 
early  sixteenth  century.  <  They  are  now  decisively  assigned 
by  Martin,  i.  52  (see  above),  to  Mirak,  the  greatest  pupil 
of  Bahzad,  it  is  believed.  Mirak  came  from  Isfahan  and 
began  his  work  at  Herat,  in  Bahzad's  later  years ;  and  as 


64  PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 

a  painter,  peerless  in  his  way,  he  is  considered  to  be  the 
founder  or  reformer  of  the  school  of  art  that  is  now  called 
after  the  city  of  Bukhara.  His  miniatures,  though  few  exist, 
are  recognized  to  be  supreme  of  their  kind.  His  wonder- 
ful skill  of  execution,  his  balance  in  grouping,  his  sense  of 
color,  and  his  specially  refined  touch  in  all  that  relates  to 
architecture,  entitle  his  deHcate  paintings  to  praise  of  the 
highest  kind.  The  date  when  this  master  lived  was  ap- 
proximately 1475-1545.  Five  plates  from  the  manuscript 
here  described  are  to  be  found  in  Martin,  2.  pi.  96-99.  >^ 

Originally  our  present  codex  had  sixteen  miniatures,  as 
shown  by  the  Persian  number  given  to  each,  but  one  of 
them  (No.  5)  is  missing.  The  two  illuminated  introductory 
title-pages,  or  ^unwans,  with  headlines  and  footlines  in 
Kufic  style  of  script,  are  particularly  fine,  as  are  also  the 
superb  smaller  headings  of  the  separate  books  with  titles  in 
Persian  script.  Throughout  the  work  there  are  chapter 
captions  in  gold.    Details  are  as  follows :  — 

I  {a-h)  fol.  ia-2h.  Two  ornate  title-pages  to  the  work  and 
forming  the  introduction  to  the  Makhzan 
al-Asrdr. 

1  fol.  1 7(1.      An  old  woman  complains  to  Sultan  San  jar 

about  an  injustice  committed  by  one  of  his 
oflficers. 

II      (c)    fol.  336.      Illuminated    title-piece    to   Khusrau  and 
Shirin. 

2  fol.  50a.      Khusrau  catches  sight  of  the  fair  Shirin  as 

she  is  bathing  in  a  pool. 

*  <Martin  (op.  cit.,  2.  pi.  99a,  left)  reproduces  another  of  Mirak's  paint- 
ings, taken  from  a  manuscript  of  the  Eastern  Turkish  poet  Nawa'i,  which 
was  completed  two  years  later  than  the  present  manuscript,  as  it  was  dated 
in  1527  A.D. ;  that  miniature  (Bahram  in  the  Dark  Palace)  closely  resembles 
the  one  painted  by  Mirak  on  the  same  subject  in  this  copy,  fol.  2130,  see 
below.> 


Bahram  Gur  in  the  Sandal  Palace 
Painting  b}^  Mirak,  Ms.  No.  8,  fol.  230&  (see  page 


NIZAMI 


3  fol.  6^a.      Khusrau  seated  upon  his  throne.  <Now 

reproduced  in  Martin,  2.  pi.  97a,  left.> 

4  fol.  74a.       Shirin  goes  to  see  the  wonderful  mountain 

sculpture  of  her  artist  admirer  Farhad,  who  has 
turned  the  course  of  a  stream  from  out  of  the 
rocks. 

[5  fol.,  with  miniature,  missing,  between  fol.  89-90.  Judging 
from  the  context  this  picture  must  have  related 
to  the  coming  of  Khusrau  to  the  castle  of  Shirin.] 

6  fol.  104b.     Marriage  of  Khusrau  and  Shirin.  (The 

Persian  inscription  beautifully  written  in  white 
letters  across  the  upper  part  of  the  miniature 
reads  as  follows:  —  'This  inscription  was 
written  in  Rajab  931  a.h.  [  =  April-May,  1525 
A.D.].  This  soul-refreshing,  delightsome,  and 
•  most  perfect  vaulted  recess  is  neither  small  nor 

large,  but  it  is  a  lofty  chamber  of  nuptial  bliss, 
a  soul-inspiring  recess,  a  heart-entrancing  man- 
sion, a  place  of  delightsome  air,  a  most  perfect 
abode ;  the  roses  in  this  palace  have  blossomed 
out  as  Shirin;  the  mole  on  her  cheek  is  like 
rosewater  and  sugar.*  Below  this,  in  the 
center,  above  the  window,  is  an  invocation  to 
God,  *0  thou  Opener  of  Doors!')  <Now 
reproduced  in  Martin,  2.  pi.  98^,  right. > 
ni     (d)  fol.  1 1 76.       Illuminated  title-piece  to  Laild  and  Majniin. 

7  fol.  129a.      Laila  and  Majntin  in  love  with  each  other 

at  school.  (Note  the  two  boys  playing  ball  in 
the  court  outside  the  school  in  the  lower  left- 
hand  panel.)  In  an  arabesque  verse  written 
in  white  letters  over  the  portal  are  the  lines :  — 
'O  teacher,  give  no  instruction  of  an  unjust  kind 

to  that  fairy-faced  girl  (i.e.  Laila), 
Nor  anything  but  good;  for  nothing  else  is 

worthy  of  that  beauteous  face.' 
IV      (e)  fol.  179&.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  Haft  Paikar. 

8  fol.  207a.      Bahram  Gur  in  the  Dark  Palace  on  Saturday. 

The  white  arabesque  inscription  reads :  — 
*  Happy  is  that  assembly  where  the  royal  seat  is 


66  PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


placed.    And  bright  is  that  mansion  over  which 
the  moon  is  passing.'    (The  reference  is  respec- 
tively to  Bahram  and  the  Princess.)  <Now 
reproduced  in  Martin,  2.  pi.  ggb,  right. > 
9  fol.  213a.       Bahram  Gur  in  the  Yellow  Palace  on  Sunday. 

The  arabesque  inscription  is  interesting  as 
containing  an  allusion  to  the  delineator  Mahmud, 
as  mentioned  above  in  connection  with  the 
scribe.  It  reads  in  substance  as  follows : 
'The  command  regarding  this  gold-encrusted 
dome  has  been  obeyed,  and  the  inscription, 
which  is  added,  is  altogether  the  work  of 
Mahmud.'  (The  lower  left-hand  figure  in  the 
picture  is  probably  a  dancing-boy  with  curls). 

10  fol.  216&.      Bahram  Gtir  in  the  Green  Palace  on  Monday. 

The  inscription  over  the  doorway  reads :  '  Over 
the  emerald  portico  is  inscribed  in  gold :  "Noth- 
ing but  the  goodness  of  the  generous  remains." ' 
<Now  reproduced  in  Martin,  2.  pi.  g'jb,  right.  > 

11  fol.  220a.      Bahram  Gur  in  the  Red  Palace  on  Tuesday. 

Over  the  left-hand  doorway  is  an  invocation  to 
God,  'O  thou  Opener  of  Doors  ! ' 

12  fol.  224b.      Bahram  Gur  in  the  Turquoise  Palace  on 

Wednesday.  Over  the  pavilion  is  written : 
'The  foundation  of  this  turquoise  dome  they 
have  laid  and  have  made  a  place  to  entertain  the 
lovers  together.' 

13  fol.  230&.      Bahram  Gur  in  the  Sandal  Palace  on  Thurs- 

day. <Now  reproduced  in  Martin,  2.  pi.  gSc, 
left,  and  in  Bulletin  Metropol.  Mus.  of  Art, 
8.  81. > 

14  fol.  2356.      Bahram  Gur  in  the  White  Palace  on  Friday. 

The  inscription  reads:  'My  eye  had  slight 
ambition  and  that  even  has  been  washed  away 
by  tears.  I  have  therefore  made  this  house 
for  thee  plain  white  throughout.' 
(/)  fol.  247&.  Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  First  Section 
of  the  Book  of  Alexander,  here  entitled  Kitdh-i 
Iskandar-ndmah. 


NIZAIH 


67 


15  fol.  279a.      Battle  between  Iskandar  and  Dara,  or 

Alexander  the  Great  and  Darius  III. 

16  fol.  3216.      Alexander  receives  the  booty  on  the  day  of 

battle.  <  Now  reproduced  in  Bulletin  Metropol, 
Mus.  of  Art,  8.  85.  > 
{g)  fol.  329&.  Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Second  Section 
of  the  Book  of  Alexander,  here  entitled  Khi- 
rad-ndmah-i  Iskandari,  or  'Alexander-Book  of 
Wisdom.' 


Nizami:  Khamsah,  or  works  complete  as  a  *  Quintet.'  A 
manuscript  of  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
illuminated  by  five  finely  executed  double  title-pages  to 
the  separate  poems,  including  the  two  subdivisions  of  the 
last  romance,  all  of  them  being  of  full  size ;  there  is  likewise 
a  single  introductory  title-page  of  half  size,  belonging  to 
a  later  date.  The  manuscript  is  illustrated  by  miniatures, 
mostly  three-quarter-page  in  size. 

Size.  —  iij  X  8  in.  (29.2  X  21.3  cm.) ;  written  space,  8f  X  5i 
in.  (22.5  X  14.5  cm.).  Folios  279;  the  last  page,  fol.  2796, 
is  left  blank.  There  are  six  folios  missing  at  the  beginning, 
the  Makhzan  al-Asrdr  here  opening  with  the  praise  of  the 
Word,  or  Divine  Revelation  (cf.  ed.  Bland,  p.  21) ;  the 
upper  half  of  this  first  page  has  been  re-pasted  and  a  new 
'unwan,  or  title-piece,  prepared  for  it. 

Binding.  —  Red  Persian  morocco  covers  of  a  later  date,  pressed 
and  with  decorative  gilt  stamping.  In  rebinding  the  pages 
have  been  trimmed  so  that  many  of  the  catchwords  at  the 
bottom  of  the  folios  have  been  cut  off. 


68  PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Medium-sized  Naskhi  style  of  writing, 
25  lines  to  a  page  in  four  gold-ruled  columns,  with  gold  and 
blue  outlinings.  A  peculiarity  of  the  scribe  is  occasionally 
to  extend  the  tail  of  the  Persian  letter  for  /  to  a  distance 
considerably  beyond  the  marginal  ruling  of  the  left  side  of 
the  page.  Worthy  of  mention  is  the  elegant  use  of  the  Kufic 
script  in  all  the  title-pages  except  the  first,  which  is  of  a 
later  date,  as  already  explained.  The  paper  is  of  a  rather 
heavy  quality,  creamish  in  color,  and  has  considerable  sheen. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  Neither  is  given,  but  the  date  of  the  manu- 
script is  approximately  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

Memorandums.  —  On  the  back  of  the  last  fly-leaf  is  a  Persian 
jotting  which  states  that  the  copy  was  ^  bought  on  the  fourth 
day  of  the  week  {i.e.  Wednesday),  the  second  of  the  month 
of  Sha'ban,  year  9  {erasure} ' ;  and  adds : '  Ours  till  it  passes  ( ?) 
to  you  (?).'  On  folio  115a  there  is  the  seal  of  an  owner" 
'Salih  .  .  .  1177  A.H.  [=  1763-1764  A.D.].* 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  five  romantic  poems  of 
Nizami,  previously  described,  arranged  as  follows:  —  I. 
Makhzan  al-Asrdr,  fol.  ib-2oa.  (Owing  to  the  loss  of  six 
folios  at  the  beginning,  this  portion  opens  with  the  praise  of 
the  Word,  cf.  ed.  Bland,  p.  21.) — II.  Khusrau  u  Shtrtn, 
fol.  2ob-S4a. — III.  Laild  u  Majnun,  fol.  846-1 2  7a.  —  IV. 
Haft  Paikar,  fol.  12 76-1 79a.  —  V.  (a)  First  portion  of  the 
Book  of  Alexander,  here  entitled  Kitdb-i  Sharaf-ndmah,  fol. 
1796-244^.  —  (b)  Second  portion  of  the  Book  of  Alexander, 
here  entitled  Kitdb-i  Iqbdl-ndmah,  fol.  2446-2 79a. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  ^unwans  (except  the  first, 
which  is  of  later  date,  as  already  noted)  are  double  pages 
throughout,  and  are  particularly  fine  in  design  and  execution. 
Note  has  already  been  made  of  the  Kufic  style  of  writing 
in  which  the  title  or  subject  of  the  special  poem  is  recorded 
on  these  pages.   There  are  also  frequent  illuminated  cap- 


 ■ 

Alexander  the  Great  receiving  Booty  on  the  Day  of  Battle 
Painting  by  Mirak,  Ms.  ]^o.  8,  fol.  3216  (see  page  67) 


NIZAMI  69 

tions,  with  gold  lettering,  as  headings  to  dilfferent  sections. 
The  miniatures,  eighteen  in  number,  generally  occupy  three- 
quarters  of  a  page,  though  some  are  smaller,  and  show 
strong  evidence  of  the  Mongol  influence.  In  style  they 
resemble  those  in  the  manuscript  of  Nizami's  Haft  Paikar 
(No.  5),  but  belong  to  an  earlier  period.  They  appear  to 
be  the  work  of  a  single  artist,  or  possibly  two,  though  no 
name  is  mentioned.    Details  as  to  the  subjects  are  as  follows : 

I   (a)  fol.   lb.  Half-page  illuminated  title  to  Makhzan  al- 

Asrdr,  with  a  foliated  design.  As  previously 
observed,  this  half-page  introductory  decora- 
tion differs  in  size  and  style  from  the  double 
title-pages  of  the  other  four  books  and  is  in- 
ferior to  them,  having  been  added  when  that 
upper  half  of  the  page  was  repaired,  as  is 
shown  by  the  pasting. 

1  fol.    Sa.  Sultan  Sanjar  is  appealed  to  by  an  old 

woman  to  redress  a  flagrant  injustice  inflicted 
by  one  of  his  olB&cers. 
II  (b-c)  fol.  2ob-2ia.    Two  illuminated  title-pages  to  Khusrau  and 
Shirin. 

2  fol.  Khusrau's  picture  presented  to  Shirin.  (The 

painter  is  peeping  from  the  background  above, 
as  the  maid  presents  the  portrait.) 

3  fol.  346.  Khusrau  catches  sight  of  Shirin  bathing. 

4  fol.  406.  Khusrau  and  Shirin  playing  polo  —  he  on 

his  famous  steed  'Black  as  Night,'  she  on  her 
palfrey  *  Rose-roan.' 

5  fol.  64^.  Khusrau  and  Shirin  meet  in  her  bower. 

6  fol.  75&.  Khusrau  and  Shirin  united  in  wedlock. 

7  fol.  79&.  Death  of  Khusrau  by  treachery. 

HI  {d-e)  fol.  846-8565.     Two  flluminated  title-pages  to  Laild  and 
Majniin. 

8  fol.  946.  Laila  and  Majnun,  in  love  at  school,  devote 

themselves  to  each  other.  (In  the  picture  is 
shown  how  Majnun  has  left  the  boys  and  has 
come  over  to  the  girls'  side  of  the  school.) 


70 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


9    fol.  104&.  Combat  between  Majnun^s  friend  Naufal, 

the  Arab,  and  the  tribe  of  Laila. 

10  fol.  111&.  Majnun  gives  himself  as  a  prisoner  to  an  old 

woman  in  order  to  release  a  captive  of  hers. 
IV  {f-g)    fol.  1 2 76-1 28a.    Two   illuminated    title-pages   to  Haft 

Paikar. 

11  fol.  1366.  Bahram  Gur  hunting.    (The  lion's  chap 

is  pierced  by  the  arrow.) 
^  12    fol.  143a.  Bahram  Gur  exhibits  his  skill  with  the 

bow  to  his  favorite,  Fitnah  {'  Mischief ') ,  by 
transfixing  the  deer's  foot  to  its  ear.  (This 
familiar  story  has  been  referred  to  above.) 

13  fol.  i^6a.  Bahram  Gtir  and  the  Princess  of  the 

Green  Palace. 

V-^  (/f-f)  fol.  lygb-iSoa.  Two  illuminated  title-pages  to  the  first 
section  of  the  Iskandar-ndmah,  or  Book  of 
Alexander,  the  title  being  here  given  as 
Kitdh-i  Sharaf-ndmah, 

14  fol.  192&.  Alexander  in  combat  with  the  King  of  the 

Zangis  (Egyptians  or  Ethiopians). 

15  fol.  2096.  Alexander  weds  the  daughter  of  Darius 

III. 

16  fol.  2i6a.  Alexander,  disguised  as  an  envoy,  before 

Queen  Nushabah. 

17  fol.  219a.  Alexander  in  search  of  the  Fountain  of 

Life  in  the  Land  of  Darkness,  meets  Klii(}r, 
the  Sage  of  Eternal  Youth, 
(y-^)  fol-  2445-245^.   Two  illuminated  title-pages  of  the  sec- 
ond section  of  the  Iskandar-ndmahj  here 
called  Kitab-i  Iqhdl-ndmah. 

18  fol.  260&.  Alexander  and  the  circle  of  the  Seven 

Sages. 


NIZAMI 


71 


10 

Nizami :  Haft  Paikar,  or  *  Seven  Portraits,'  the  fourth  of 

Nizami's  five  romantic  poems,  and  comprised  in  a  manu- 
script of  great  interest  and  value.  This  particular  copy  is 
a  royal  volume,  as  it  was  specially  presented  to  the  Mughal 
Emperor  Akbar  the  Great  and  belonged  later  to  his  grand- 
son Shah  Jahan.  The  colophon  is  dated  1580  A.D.,  <but  the 
body  of  the  manuscript  must  be  years  earlier,  as  explained 
below.  >  This  book  from  the  library  of  the  Mughals  is 
handsomely  illuminated,  and  is  adorned  by  five  beautiful 
full-page  miniatures  <  signed  by  Bahzad,  the  most  famous 
Persian  artist,  who  Uved  about  i46o-i525.>  From  Akbar's 
chronicles  it  is  known  that  the  poetic  romances  of  Nizami, 
of  which  this  volume  forms  a  part,  were  among  the  favorite 
books  of  that  great  emperor.^ 

Size.  —  II  X  7  in.  (28.0  X  18.0  cm.) ;  written  space,  7!  X  4i  in. 
(19.7  X  12.0  cm.).  Folios  56,  numbered  in  Persian  figures 
at  the  top  of  the  right-hand  columns,  and  recorded  also 
in  a  memorandum  in  Persian  on  the  last  page  near  Shah 
Jahan's  seal ;  but  foHos  29  and  35  are  missing. 

Binding.  —  Lacquer  covers,  adorned  both  inside  and  outside 
with  scenes  introducing  wild  animals,  birds,  flowers,  and 
trees.    There  are  evidences  of  rebinding  and  repair. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Elegant  Nasta^liq  hand,  25  lines  to  a  page, 
in  four  gold-ruled  columns  with  outlinings  in  gold  and 
blue.  All  the  pages  are  inset,  or  rather  have  been  re-inset, 
in  a  pink-hued  paper,  the  insets  being  of  a  heavier  and 
better  quality  than  the  borders,  and  having  a  cafe  au  lait 
tinge. 

*  See  Abu'l  FadI,  AHn-i  Akbari,  or  Institutes  of  Akbar,  translated  by 
F.  Gladwin,  i.  113,  London,  1800. 


72 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


Date  and  Scribe,  —  <There  is  a  special  problem  connected  with 
settling  precisely  the  date  of  this  valuable  copy,  owing  to 
a  difference  between  the  date  of  the  colophon,  which  is 
certainly  a  later  addition,  and  the  earHer  miniatures,  which 
are  undoubtedly  by  Bahzad  and  are  synchronous  with  the 
body  of  the  work.^>  The  colophon  is  plainly  dated  in  fig- 
ures as  988  A.H.  =  1580  AJD.,  and  the  name  of  the  copyist  is 
included  as  Azhar,  who  humbly  describes  himself  as  '  a  poor 
miserable  sinner  that  craves  God's  pardon.'  He  is  termed 
Maulana  Azhar  in  a  memorandum  {B)  to  the  left  of  Akbar's 
seal ;  and  it  should  be  added  that,  if  the  signature  be  authen- 
tic, he  must  be  another  scribe  than  the  Maulana  Azhar  of 
Herat,  who  lived  a  century  earlier  and  died  in  880  a.h.  = 
1475-1476  A.D.,  according  to  Huart,  Les  Calligraphes  et  les 
miniaturisteSj  p.  208,  215,  221,  225.^  <Dr.  Martin,  who  had 
examined  the  manuscript  before  it  came  into  Mr.  Cochran's 
collection,  had  noticed  in  his  recent  work  (i.  44,  113  ;  2.  pi. 
67)  that  three  of  the  paintings  are  'signed  with  the  authentic 
signature  of  Bihzad.'  ^  A  very  careful  re-examination  of 
the  miniatures  now  shows  in  addition  that  not  merely  three 
but  all  five  bear  the  signature  of  the  renowned  painter. 
The  artistic  style  of  the  work  and  the  characteristic  minus- 
cule handwriting  of  the  signatures  —  so  small  that  a  micro- 
scope is  needed  to  decipher  the  name  —  seem  to  leave  no 
doubt  that  they  are  perfectly  genuine.  Various  hypotheses 
might  be  suggested  to  explain  the  discrepancy  between  this 

*  <The  fact  that  text  and  miniatures  are  synchronous  will  be  clear  to  any 
one  who  scrutinizes  the  handwriting  in  the  verses  on  the  top  and  back  of  the 
miniatures.  > 

2  Possibly  more  light  may  be  thrown  later  on  Azhar. 

*  <Dr.  Martin  appears  not  to  touch  upon  the  problem  of  the  date  in  the 
colophon  or  to  refer  to  the  memorandum  which  also  mentions  the  name  of 
Azhar  as  scribe. > 


NIZAMI 


73 


older  age  and  the  date  in  the  colophon.^  After  carefully 
weighing  all  the  possibilities  and  the  presumable  facts,  the 
most  likely  explanation  is  that  the  date  *  year  988  ^  (a.h.) 
in  the  colophon,  if  not  the  entire  colophon  itself  (see  re- 
mark in  footnote  below),  was  inserted  when  the  copy  was 
arranged  to  be  presented  to  Akbar.^  But,  as  stated  above, 
the  whole  problem  is  a  difficult  one.> 
Memorandums.  —  The  inscription  in  the  illuminated  medal- 
lion on  the  front  page,  supplemented  also  by  memorandums 
on  the  last  foHo,  shows  that  the  manuscript  was  presented 
to  the  Mughal  Emperor  Akbar  the  Great,  of  India,  by 
Mun^im  Khan,  his  trusted  minister  and  governor-general 
(Khan-Khanan).  The  complimentary  dedication  in  the 
medalHon  itself  reads  in  Persian :  ^  May  this  beautiful  book 
be  presented  by  Mun'im  Khan  (may  God  prolong  his  Hfe  !), 
whose  power  is  extensive,  and  [who  is]  a  lord  of  lords,  to  the 
Vicegerent  of  the  Universe  {i.e.  to  Akbar  the  Great].'  The 
name  of  Mun^im  is  mentioned  likewise  in  a  memorandum 
jotted  down  in  Persian  on  the  last  page.  From  the  court 
records  of  Akbar  it  is  known  that  Mun^m  was  appointed 
by  the  Emperor  to  his  high  office  in  the  Panjab  as  early 
as  1560  A.D.  (see  Elliot,  History  of  India,  5.  267;  6.  41). 
Still  further  proof  of  the  imperial  ownership  of  the  book 

^  <For  example,  among  several  hypotheses,  the  suggestion  might  be  made 
that  Bahzad's  pictures  had  been  painted  and  were  used  later  by  the  scribe, 
and  that  he  filled  in  the  verses  at  the  top  and  on  the  back  of  the  miniatures 
in  transcribing  the  copy.  The  possibility  of  a  conjecture  that  the  paintings 
were  taken  from  an  older  book  and  set  in,  even  though  the  manuscript  has 
been  remounted  (apparently  after  Akbar's  time)  is  precluded  by  the  uni- 
formity of  the  handwriting  throughout.  Other  possibilities  have  been 
thought  of,  but  ultimately  rejected.  > 

2  <  There  appears  in  fact  to  be  a  slight  difference  discernible  between  the 
ink  in  the  colophon  and  that  in  the  body  of  the  text.  [Renewed  examina- 
tion makes  this  difference  still  more  noticeable.]  More  technical  skill  may 
yet  serve  to  help  toward  the  solution  of  the  entire  question.> 


74 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


is  furnished  by  the  seals  on  the  last  page,  containing  the 
name  of  Akbar  and  his  grandson  Shah  Jahan,  and  by  the 
memorandums  adjoining  these  signets.  The  chronologi- 
cal order  of  these  appears  to  be  as  follows :  — 

The  seal  (i)  of  Akbar  (combined  with  the  name  of  Muhib 
*Ali)  is  stamped  near  the  lower  right-hand  corner  of  the  last 
page ;  it  reads :  *  Akbar  Shah  —  his  servant  Muhib  ^Ali/ 
This  person  appears  to  be  the  same  as  the  Muhib  'Ali  who 
was  the  son  of  Mir  Khalifah  and  was  one  of  Akbar's  trusted 
commanders  (cf.  Elliot,  History  of  India,  5.  338;  6.  71-76). 

Above  this  seal  is  written  a  memorandum  {A)  in  Persian, 
*  Allah  Akbar  (God  is  Most  Great)  —  this  was  inspected 
{^ard-didah  shud),^  the  day  of  Asman,  27th  of  the  month 
presided  over  by  Ardabahisht,  of  the  Divine  Reign,  24  ( ?) 
[i.e.  in  April,  1580  a.d.  ?]  at  Lahore.' ^ 

To  the  left  of  the  same  seal  is  another  Persian  memoran- 
dum (B)j  written  in  a  different  hand  and  running  along 
the  lower  part  of  the  page ;  it  is  a  note  describing  the  book 
as  follows:  ^ Allah  Akbar  (God  is  Most  Great)  —  the  Haft 
Paikar  of  Shaikh  Nizami,  copied  by  Maulana  Azhar, 
containing  seven  [sic]  pages  of  illuminated  illustrations,  the 
work  of  experts,  for  Mun'im  Khan,  the  Khan-Khanan; 
9000  single  verses ;  five  hundred  rupees.'  ^ 

^  As  to  the  meaning  of  ^ard-didah,  see  below,  p.  112,  note  i. 

2  There  is  some  uncertainty  as  to  the  decipherment  of  the  signs  here  read 
as  ^24/  located  at  a  slight  distance  from  the  words  for  'Divine  Reign/ 
and  somewhat  below.  If  correctly  deciphered,  the  year  24  appears  to  have 
been  written,  by  an  oversight,  for  25  (a  not  unnatural  slip  to  make,  as 
the  twenty-fifth  year  of  the  reign  had  begun  but  shortly  before,  and 
mistakes  of  a  similar  nature  are  to  be  found  elsewhere,  cf.  Elliot,  5.  403  > 
n.  I ;  408,  n.  i ;  410,  n.  i).  The  date  (if  the  interpretation  be  correct) 
would  correspond  to  April,  1580  a.d.  (or  the  year  when  the  manuscript  was 
finally  arranged),  at  which  time  Akbar  was  in  the  Panjab,  as  we  know  from 
his  chronicles,  cf.  Elliot,  5.  411  and  5.  246. 

'  <0n  the  question  of  the  identity  of  Maulana  Azhar,  see  above.  The 
allusion  to  'the  work  of  experts'  {kdr-i  ustadan)  refers  alike  to  artist,  copy- 


NIZAMI  75 

The  next  memorandum  in  point  of  time,  so  far  as  can  be 
judged,  is  the  short  Persian  note  (C)  near  the  left-hand 
margin,  above  the  large  seal,  which  has  been  partly  stamped 
over  it.  It  reads:  *  Allah  Akbar  (God  is  Most  Great)  — 
this  was  inspected  {^ard-dldah  shud)  on  the  13th  of  Adar, 
year  Alf  [i.e.  in  March,  1582  a.d.,  reckoned  according 
to  Akbar's  'Era  of  the  Thousand' ;  cf.  Elliot,  5.  151,  159,  n. 
I,  534] 

The  memorandum  next  in  order  (D),  judging  from  the 
evidence,  is  the  one  immediately  over  seal  2,  which  is  im- 
pressed somewhat  higher  than  Akbar's  signet,  though  by 
an  official,  on  the  right  of  the  page.  This  seal  (2),  however, 
is  only  partially  stamped,  so  that,  except  for  the  word 
ikUds,  ^  loyalty,'  and  some  individual  letters,  the  name  can 
not  be  read ;  but  even  though  it  was  certainly  not  Akbar's 
name,  the  seal  must  positively  have  been  impressed  in  the 
latter  part  of  his  long  reign,  as  shown  by  the  date  in  the 
Persian  note  directly  above  it.  This  memorandum  {D) 
reads :  '  Allah  Akbar  (God  is  Most  Great)  —  it  was  in- 
spected Qard-dtdak  shud)  on  the  date,  ninth  of  the  month 
of  Bahman,  year  42  [i.e.  about  January,  1598].' 

The  last  seal  (3),  the  large  one  impressed  on  the  left  hand 
of  the  page,  contains  the  name  of  Akbar's  grandson.  Shah 
Jahan,  combined  with  that  of  an  official ;  it  reads :  '  Shah 
Jahan  —  his  servant  I^timad  Khan.'  ^ 


ist,  gilder,  illuminator,  and  possibly  binder.  The  content  of  the  memoran- 
dum indicates  that  the  copy  finally  was  especially  arranged  for  Mun'im 
Khan  as  a  gift  to  be  presented  to  his  sovereign.> 

^  The  identity  of  the  I'timad  Khan  named  in  this  seal,  is  not  certain. 
Two  possible  suggestions  might  be  made.  The  first  suggestion  is  that  he 
may  have  been  the  same  person  as  Sarmad  I'timad  Khan,  an  author  and 
scholar,  who  was  a  devoted  friend  of  Shah  Jahan's  son  Dara  and  was  put 
to  death  by  Aurangzib  in  1660  a.d.,  after  the  execution  of  Dara,  as  men- 
tioned by  Manucci,  Storia  do  Mogor,  transl.  by  Irvine,  i.  384,  n.  i ;  i. 


76 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


The  final  memorandum  {E),  on  the  last  page,  is  a  note 
accompanying  this  latter  seal  and  running  in  a  narrow- 
column  between  it  and  the  colophon ;  it  is  written  in  a  cur- 
sive Persian  hand  and  reads  as  follows :  '  On  the  19th 
of  Sha^ban,  year  31  after  the  King's  accession,  [this  book] 
was  intrusted  (tahwil)  ^  to  Khwajah  Hilal;  56  folios,  25 
lines  to  each  page,  two  couplets  to  a  line;  value  1300.' 
(This  same  figure  is  found  also  on  the  first  page  near  the 
medaUion.)  This  date  (19th  Sha^ban,  year  31  of  Shah 
Jahan's  reign)  would  correspond  with  May  22,  1658,  or 
a  month  before  Shah  Jahan  was  imprisoned  by  his  son 
Aurangzib  (cf.  Manucci,  Storia  do  Mogor^  i.  294,  n.  i). 

A  memorandum  on  the  first  page  (fol.  la)  is  simply  a 
jotting  in  Persian  to  the  effect  that  the  work  is  *  the  Haft 
Paikar  of  Nizami,  illustrated;  1300/  On  the  first  of  the 
fly-leaves  which  have  been  added  at  the  front  is  likewise 
in  Persian  the  title  ^  Haft  Paikar  '  and  a  note  that  the  copy 
'  passed  to  Jamaji  Mobedi  from  Mir  Salman  Khan  Saman/ 
On  the  top  of  the  last  folio  is  the  signature  of  ^  Cha-  Stuart 
Calcutta,  March  24*^,  1766';  and  on  the  last  of  the  fly- 
leaves added  at  the  back,  is  written  the  name  of  '  Alex. 
Lord  Blantyre.'  There  is  an  error  in  the  pencil  memoran- 
dum giving  the  date  as  'a.h.  977  '  instead  of  988,  <but  the 
statement,  '  drawings  by  Baizad  '  (sic),  in  the  same  memo- 
randum is  in  general  correct,  as  now  shown  above.  > 
Subject  and  Contents.  —  The  romantic  story  of  Bahram  Gur 
and  the  Seven  Princesses,  as  described  above. 

223 ;  and  4.  427,  London,  1906.  Another  possibility  would  be  to  regard 
him  as  the  same  as  I'timad  ad-Daulah,  whose  full  name  was  Muhammad 
Amin  Khan  and  who  enjoyed  the  favor  both  of  Shah  Jahan  and  Aurangzib 
down  to  the  time  prior  to  his  death  in  1 721  a.d.  (cf.  Elliot,  History  of  India, 
7.  108-109,  442,  517). 

1  On  the  meaning  of  tahml,  see  below,  p.  112,  n.  i. 


NIZAMI 


77 


Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  On  the  front  page  is  a  rich 
medallion  in  blue  and  gold  with  a  dedicatory  inscription 
to  Akbar  (as  described  above)  in  white  letters.  Then  fol- 
lows the  opening  of  the  poem  on  two  richly  illuminated  full 
pages,  with  ornamental  Kufic  titles.  There  are  likewise 
nine  decorated  small  section-headings,  ornately  embelUshed, 
at  different  places  in  the  poem,  and  there  are  numerous 
gold-lettered  captions. 

The  painted  miniatures  are  in  the  best  style  of  the  six- 
teenth century,  recalling  the  characteristics  of  Bahzad's 
day.  <They  are,  in  fact,  by  Bahzad  himself,  as  shown  by 
his  signatures,  now  noted  on  the  miniatures,  as  mentioned 
above,  after  a  re-examination  of  each  painting  since  Mr. 
Martin's  volume  on  miniatures  appeared.  They  are  painted 
after  the  Timtirid  manner;  but,  as  noted  by  Dr.  W.  R. 
Valentiner  {Bulletin  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Arty 
8.  80,  no.  4,  April,  1913),  ^  how  much  more  delicate  [than 
in  Timurid  times]  is  the  drawing  of  the  figures,  how 
much  less  crowded  the  composition,  and  how  clearly 
Bahzad's  treatment  and  remarkable  sense  of  observation 
are  shown  in  the  details  !  The  picture  of  Bahram  Gur  and 
the  Indian  Princess  in  the  dark  palace  has  exquisite  rhythm 
of  line ;  the  hunting-scene  shows  the  artist  making  clever 
use  of  large  empty  spaces  in  order  to  emphasize  the  most 
important  figures,  and  is,  moreover,  remarkable  for  the 
characterization  of  the  horses,  which  are  vivid  and  lifelike 
in  spite  of  their  somewhat  stiff  attitude.'  A  Persian  mem- 
orandum (already  referred  to)  on  the  last  page  of  the  copy 
speaks  of  them  as  '  seven  '  in  number  and  *  the  work  of 
experts' ;  it  may  now  be  added  that  Bahzad  was  the  artist 
expert.  >  The  original  number  of  seven  paintings  has  been 
reduced  to  five  by  the  loss  of  foKos  29  and  35.  The  sub- 
jects of  the  five  miniatures  in  this  noted  manuscript  illus- 


78 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


trate  incidents  in  the  life  of  Bahram  Gur,  his  fondness  for 
hunting,  and  some  of  the  stories  told  to  him  by  the  different 
princesses. 

(a)  fol.  la.      Illuminated  medallion  described  above. 

(b)  fol.  lb.      Illuminated  full-page  title  with  ornamental  Kufic 

headings. 

(c)  fol.  2a.      Second  title-page  similarly  illuminated. 

1  fol.  loa.     Bahram  Gur  on  the  chase.    (The  fondness  of 

Bahram,  Hhat  Great  Hunter,'  for  the  chase  was 
proverbial.)  <This  miniature  by  Bahzad,  signed  in 
the  lower  right-hand  corner,  is  now  reproduced  by 
Martin,  2.  pi.  676,  right.> 

2  fol.  ijb.       Bahram  Gur's  skill  with  the  bow.    (The  famiUar 

story  of  how  Bahram  exhibited  his  skill  to  his  sweet- 
heart Fitnah,  'Mischief,'  by  transfixing  with  an  arrow 
the  hoof  of  a  deer  to  its  ear.)  <Signed  by  Bahzad, 
lower  left-hand  corner.> 

3  fol.  23&.       Bahram  Gur  and  the  Indian  Princess  in  the  Dark 

Palace  on  Saturday.  <Reproduced  now  by  Martin, 
2.  pi.  67a,  left,  as  signed  by  Bahzad.  This  signature  is 
difficult  to  find,  though  the  miniature  is  evidently 
Bahzad's  work ;  a  careful  examination  of  the  painting 
seems  to  reveal  his  name  in  minuscule  letters  in  the 
lower  left-hand  corner  of  the  pool,  but  the  oxidation 
of  the  silver,  which  was  used  in  painting  the  water, 
has  made  the  writing  almost  illegible.  Through  an 
oversight  Dr.  Martin  has  wrongly  entitled  the  subject 
of  this  illustration  as  *Shirm.'> 

4  fol.  335.        How  a  hunter  was  drowned  in  a  well.    (To  illus- 

trate the  story  told  to  Bahram  about  the  hunter 
drowned  in  a  well  that  was  covered  with  an  earthen 
jar  so  as  to  decoy  animals  that  came  to  drink.  A 
wayfarer  uses  the  branch  of  a  tree  in  tr)dng  to  find  the 
missing  man's  body.)  <  Signed  near  lower  right-hand 
corner  by  Bahzad.> 

5  fol.  47a.      The  eavesdropper.    (Illustration  of  the  story  told 

to  Bahram  of  the  fate  of  the  eavesdropper  who 


NIZAMI 


79 


peeped  from  the  lattice  window.  The  eavesdropper 
is  represented  in  the  picture,  and  above  the  lattices  is 
an  arabesque  inscription  containing  praises  of  the 
King,  and  along  the  cornice  runs  an  Arabic  couplet, 
*God  is  without  equal,  and  Him  alone  we  will  wor- 
ship.' Over  the  doorway  in  a  conventionalized 
Kufic  is,  'O  Thou  Opener  of  the  Door  [i.e.  God]!') 
<Signed  in  the  lower  right  corner  by  Bahzad.> 


A  Persian  Anthology  —  Nizanu  abridged ;  Selections  also  from 
other  well-known  Persian  Writers.  —  An  early  nineteenth 
century  illuminated  manuscript  containing  the  five  poeti- 
cal works  of  Nizami  in  an  abridged  form,  and  selections 
from  thirty  or  forty  works  by  other  writers,  mostly  poets, 
including  Firdausi,  Farid  ad-Din  'Attar,  'Umar  Khayyam 
(?),  Sa'di/  Jalal  ad-Din  Rtimi,  Hafiz,  Jami,  and  others. 
The  selections  are  handsomely  written  on  the  margins  as 
well  as  in  the  body  of  the  manuscript,  the  entire  compilation 
having  been  made  at  one  and  the  same  time.  The  copy  is 
illuminated  by  sixteen  full-page  miniatures  and  five  mar- 
ginal paintings,  all  being  in  the  style  of  the  period. 

Size.  —  loj  X  7  in.  (26.5  X  17.7  cm.) ;  written  surface,  9!  X  6  in. 
(24.7  X  15.3  cm.).  Folios  163.  A  number  of  folios  are  miss- 
ing ;  there  are  lacunae,  for  example,  after  256,  48^,  106&,  1086, 
109&,  112&,  ii65, 1206.  The  manuscript  breaks  off  abruptly, 
and  the  last  page  is  left  blank,  as  if  the  copyist  had  been 
interrupted  in  the  midst  of  his  work. 

Binding.  —  Black  leather  Oriental  binding  (not  original)  with 
gold  ornamentation  on  the  outside  and  with  reddish  leather 
on  the  inside. 


8o 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


Writing  and  Paper.  —  Small,  clear  Nasta'liq  in  a  fair  hand ; 
27  lines  to  a  page  in  five  gold-ruled  columns;  the  prose 
selections  are  likewise  written  27  lines  to  the  page.  The 
writing  in  the  case  of  the  marginal  selections  is  slightly 
smaller,  but  is  by  the  same  hand  throughout  as  the  body 
of  the  text.  The  paper  is  of  a  good  quality  with  a  slight 
ivory  gloss.  The  side  margins  of  all  the  pages  had  become 
VvTorn  by  usage  and  have  been  skilfully  repaired  throughout. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  Despite  its  much-used  appearance,  which 
gives  to  the  manuscript  the  semblance  of  being  older  than 
it  is,  the  copy  must  belong  to  the  first  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  if  we  may  judge  by  the  date  123(0]  a.h.  =  18 15 
A.D.,  recorded  by  the  scribe  on  two  different  pages.  First 
on  fol.  1 1 76  (margin),  at  the  end  of  the  selections  from 
Sa^di's  Bustdn,  there  is  a  memorandum'  by  the  copyist, 
written  in  black  ink,  overscored  with  red,  as  follows: 
*  Here  end  the  selections  from  the  Bustan  of  Shaikh  Sa^di 
(upon  whom  be  mercy!) ;  dated,  month  of  Rajab,  in  the 
year  i23[o]  a.h.  [=  June,  1815  a.d.]  ;  written  at  the  com- 
mand of  his  lordship  Aqa  Husain  (whom  God  protect!).' 
Second,  on  fol.  127&  (in  the  body  of  the  text,  and  written  a 
month  earlier  than  the  marginal  note  just  described)  there 
is  a  similar  memorandum,  but  by  a  different  hand  and  in  a 
cursive  style  that  is  difficult  to  decipher ;  it  occurs  in  a  panel 
following  the  Ghazals  of  Salman  of  Sawah,  and  is  written 
in  red  ink ;  the  substance  is  as  follows :  ^  At  the  command 
of  his  lordship  .  .  .  Aqa  Muhammad  Husain  (whom  God 
protect  1)  and  with  his  support  and  suggestion  as  to  some 
of  the  marginal  selections,  this  book  was  prepared  (?) 
by  me,  Qadi  Ahmad  [.  .  .],  the  student,  in  hopes  that 
when  it  comes  to  his  glorious  presence,  it  may  meet  with 
the  acceptance  of  that  dignitary;  dated  Jumada  II,  i23[o] 
A.H.  [=  May,  181 5].'    Although  the  memorandum  is  diffi- 


NIZAMI  8 1 

cult  to  decipher  and  the  sense  is  not  clear  in  every  detail, 
the  import  of  the  passage  is  plain,  namely,  that  the  scribe 
(Ahmad  .  .  .)  had  received  suggestions  from  his  patron 
in  regard  to  some  of  the  selections  chosen  to  be  copied.  It 
may  be  inferred,  furthermore,  from  the  dedication  in  the 
vignettes  on  the  title-pages  that  this  patron  designed  the 
manuscript  as  a  gift  to  the  Persian  grandee  whose  name  is 
there  duly  mentioned.  Simply  by  way  of  record  it  may 
be  added  that  there  is  no  special  bearing  on  the  date  of 
this  manuscript  in  the  colophon  that  concludes  the  selections 
from  Salman  himself  (fol.  127&),  '  Jumada  I,  814  a.h.  [  = 
August,  141 1  A.D.],'  because  that  colophon  is  merely  a  ver- 
batim reproduction  of  an  older  colophon,  even  including  the 
name  of  the  earlier  scribe,  ^  Mahmud  Murtada  al-Husaini.' 

Dedication.  —  The  two  large  circular  medallions  on  the  illu- 
minated title-pages  of  the  manuscript  show  that  the  book 
was  personally  dedicated  by  its  donor  to  an  Ottoman 
merchant  prince,  if  we  may  so  localize  the  attribute  '  Rumi ' 
in  his  title.  The  inscriptions  in  these  dedicatory  medallions 
read  respectively  as  follows :  (i)  ^  The  owner,  and  whatever 
is  his,  belongs  to  God.  The  honorable  Khwajah,  prince  of 
merchants  of  the  world.'  (2)  'Kamal  ad-Din  Mahmud 
,  .  .  [lacuna]  Rumi  (may  God  grant  him  peace!) From  what 
has  been  noted  above  we  may  presume  that  the  book  was 
presented  to  this  gentleman,  who  was  a  man  of  culture  as 
well  as  a  man  of  business. 

Memorandums.  —  On  the  front  fly-leaf  is  a  memorandum  in 
Armenian,  *  M  63/  i6th,'  evidently  the  number  of  the  manu- 
script in  a  book-list ;  there  are  also  two  pencil  notes  of  no 
importance.  On  fol.  la  there  is  an  Arabic  quotation  and 
one  in  Persian.  The  Arabic  citation  is  Qur'anic,  from 
the  chapter  entitled  Surat  al-A'raf  (7.  55)  as  follows: 
'  Verily  your  Lord  is  God,  He  who  created  the  heavens  and 


82 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


the  earth  in  six  days.  He  then  ascended  to  His  throne.  He 
causeth  the  night  to  cover  the  day  —  it  succeedeth  it  swiftly. 
He  created  likewise  the  sun  and  the  moon  and  the  stars, 
which  are  subject  to  his  command.  Is  not  creation  and 
its  command  His!   Blessed  be  God,  the  Lord  of  the  Worlds ! ' 

The  Persian  quotation  on  this  page  gives  the  name  of 
a  former  owner  of  the  book  and  cites  a  verse  of  a  personal 
nature :  '  In  the  words  of  the  owner,  a  Sa)^id,  the  Sayyid 
Aqa  Ja'far  —  may  God^s  mercy  be  upon  him  ! 

'  Let  three  of  the  four  seasons  be  thine,  and  spring  alone  be  mine ; 
Let  the  face  of  the  whole  earth  be  thine  —  but  let  union  with 
the  Beloved  be  mine.' 

There  is  a  further  jotting  on  this  fly-leaf  in  Persian  with 
regard  to  the  title  and  contents,  '  Makhzan  al-Asrar  of 
Nizami  and  two  other  books,'  but  this  statement  is  both 
incomplete  and  inadequate,  as  shown  below. 

On  the  back  of  the  last  fly-leaf  there  is  penciled  a  note 
in  English :  '  Nizami's  Khamsah,  etc.,'  together  with  a 
memorandum  in  ink,  '  12  large  and  5  small  miniatures.' 
Either  there  was  an  error  in  this  statement  or  the  manuscript 
has  lost  a  miniature  since  the  memorandum  was  made,  as 
the  copy  at  present  contains  11  (not  12)  large  and  5  small 
miniatures. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  contents  of  the  manuscript 
are  miscellaneous,  as  is  shown  by  the  Persian  title-pages,  even 
though  not  every  title  there  given  appears  to  be  represented 
in  the  copy  in  its  present  form ;  and  some  of  the  selections 
that  do  occur  appear  to  be  missing  in  the  title  list.  More 
than  half  of  the  body  of  the  work  is  devoted  to  selections 
from  Nizami.  Specimens  also  are  given  from  Firdausi, 
Sa'di,  Hafi^,  and  other  writers,  the  passages  in  the  margins 
sometimes  being  from  the  same  author  as  in  the  body  of 


NIZAMI  83 

the  text.  In  the  list  of  authors  mentioned  on  the  first 
illuminated  page  is  the  name  of  *Umar  Khayyam.  No 
special  section  is  assigned  to  him  in  the  manuscript,  but  it  may 
be  remotely  possible  that  the  fifteen  Ruba'is  on  the  margin 
of  fol.  1 266-1 2 7a  are  wandering  quatrains  of  his,  as  they  re- 
semble his  verses  in  tone ;  but  it  has  not  been  possible  thus 
far  to  identify  these  stanzas  with  any  of  those  generally 
ascribed  to  'Umar.  For  the  sake  merely  of  comparison  and 
reference  a  record  is  here  made  of  the  imperfect  list  of  authors 
(fihrist)  as  it  is  given  in  the  illuminated  circles  placed  around 
the  two  medallions  on  the  first  two  title-pages ;  but  it  must 
be  remembered  that  in  a  number  of  instances  this  table  does 
not  agree  with  the  actual  contents  of  the  manuscript ;  the 
names  of  Hafiz  and  Sa^di,  for  instance,  are  not  included  in 
the  list,  although  a  section  of  the  volume  is  actually  devoted 
to  selections  from  their  works. 

I.  First  page  list  of  titles. 

1.  Book  of  Fragments  of  Ibn-i  Yamin. 

2.  Book  of  Rubd'is  of  'Umar  Khayyam. 

3.  Book  of  the  great  Maulana  'Abd  ar-Rahman  Jaim. 

4.  Book  of  Darvish  Hasan  Qalandar  [latter  half  of  the  sixteenth 

century  —  see  Ethe,  Grundriss,  2.  359]. 
II.  Second  page  list  of  titles. 

1.  Selections  from  the  Khamsah  of  Nizami. 

2.  A  book  on  the  science  of  chemistry. 

3.  A  book  on  perforating  crown  pearls  [i.e.  on  writing  poetry]. 

4.  Selections  from  the  Tawdrikh-i  Nizam,  on  poetic  dates. 

5.  A  book  on  medical  subjects. 

6.  Selections  from  the  NataHj  al-Afkdr,  or  about  the  results  of  taking 

thought. 

7.  Ghazals,  or  odes. 

8.  Qastdahs,  or  panegyrics  in  verse. 

9.  Selections  from  'Attar's  Mantiq  at-Tair,  or  *  Language  of  Birds.*, 

10.  Artificial  and  unartificial  Qastdahs. 

11.  Selections  from  Firdausi's  Shah-ndmah.    [They  relate  to  Rum, 

or  Byzantium.] 

12.  Tarjl'dt,  poems  with  refrains. 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


13.  Selections  from  Rumi's  Masnam. 

14.  Miscellaneous  Qasldahs  of  adjuration. 

15.  Selections  from  Sana'i's  Hadiqah,  or  'Garden.* 

16.  Poems  of  advice  and  admonition. 

17.  Nasir  Khusrau's  Raushana'l-namah. 

18.  A  book  on  stringing  pearls  [i.e.  on  writing  poetry]. 

19.  The  book  of  Nisdb  as-Sibidn. 

20.  Introduction  to  astrological  poetry. 

21.  The  book  of  Abkdr  al-Afkdr,  or  'Maiden  Thoughts.' 

22.  Ten  treatises  by  Auhadi  of  Kirman. 

23.  About  the  oneness  of  God  the  Most  High. 

24.  In  praise  of  the  Prophet  and  his  incomparableness. 


Texts  in  the  body 
fol.  2b-i$a. 
fol.  i36-34<^. 
fol.  346-486. 


fol.  4ga-64a, 
fol.  646-81(1. 

fol.  816-956. 


fol.  956-io2(Z. 


fol.  102^-103^. 
fol.  1036-1066. 


fol.  107^1-1  i3(z. 


fol.  1 136- 1 186. 
fol.  1186-1216. 


of  the  book. 

A  portion  of  Nizami's  Makhzan  al-Asrdr. 

A  selection  from  Nizami's  Khusrau  and  Shirin. 

From  Ni?ami's  Laild  and  Majnun. 

[Several  pages  are  missing  at  the  end  owing  to 
a  lacuna  in  the  manuscript.] 

Selections  from  Nizami's  Haft  Paikar. 

From  the  First  portion  (a)  of  Ni?ami's  Book 
of  Alexander,  here  entitled  Sharaf-ndmah. 

From  the  Second  portion  (6)  of  Nizami's 
Book  of  Alexander  J  here  entitled  Iskandar- 
ndmahf  though  more  often  called  Khirad-ndmah. 

From  Firdausi's  Shdh-ndmah.  [The  selections 
relate  to  King  Gushtasp  and  the  Princess  of  Rum ; 
of.  ed.  Vullers  and  Landauer,  3.  1451-1496.] 

Selections  from  Sa'di. 

Selected  Qasidahs  in  praise  of  the  unity  of  God 
by  various  authors  (Fakhr  ad-Din  'Iraqi,  Anwari, 
Saraj  ad-Din  Qamari,  Adib  Sabir,  'Abd  al-Qadir 
of  Na'in,  Sayyid  Jalal  'Acjud,  Shaikh  Sa'di. 

Ghazals  of  Maulana  Salman  of  Sawah  (c. 
1300-1376  A.D. ;  cf.  Muqtadir,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss.  at 
Bankipore,  vol.  i.  p.  219-227). 

Ghazals  of  Hafi?. 

Ghazals  of  Muhammad  Shirln  Maghrib!  of 
Na'In  (d.  1406  a.d.  —  see  Rieu,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss. 
British  Museum  2.  633  and  Supplement,  p.  181 ; 


NIZAMI 


85 


Ethe,  Neupers.  Litt.,  p.  304;  Muqtadir,  Cat, 
Per  S.J  vol.  2.  p.  6-9). 

fol.  1216-123&.  Qasidahs  and  Tarji^dt  of  Saif  ad-Din  Isfrangi 
(d.  1267  or  1268  A.D.). 

fol.  124^-1276.  A  collection  of  artificial  acrostic  verses  by 
Salman  of  Sawah  (c.  1300-1376  a.d.,  see 
above),  whose  name  appears  in  the  head-band 
(fol.  124&),  one  page  after  the  beginning.  [In 
these  selections  the  syllables  of  the  words  that 
contain  artificial  devices  are  indicated  by  red 
ink  in  contrast  to  the  black  ink ;  and  red  ink  is 
used  in  the  marginal  columns  to  give  the  precise 
name  of  each  meter  that  is  involved  in  the 
versification.] 

fol.  1286-134&.  The  Lama' at  of  *Iraqi  of  Hamadan  (d.  1287  or 
1289  A.D.,  see  Rieu,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss.  Brit.  Mus., 
2.  594).  —  [A  treatise  in  verse  and  prose  on 
mystic  love.] 

fol.  135(1-1366.  *Iraqf s  mystic  work  headed  by  the  phrase 
as  title  *  Allah  is  the  Lord  of  Success  ^  —  [mainly 
in  prose]. 

fol.  I37a-i54a.  ^Iraqi's  mystic  work  headed  by  the  titular 
phrase  *God  of  Assistance  and  Guidance* — 
[mainly  in  prose]. 

fol.  1 546-1 566.  Prose  selections  containing  mystic  specula- 
tions, or  the  AHn  al-Qtiddt  of  Abu'l  Ma'ali 
*Abdallah  b.  Muhammad  b.  *Ali  al-Miyanji,  a 
native  of  Miyanah,  east  of  Lake  Urumiah,  and  a 
mystic  writer,  who  died  in  1130  or  1138  a.d. 
(cf.  Rieu,  op.  cit.,  i.  411). 

fol.  I57a-i63<z.  From  the  first  part  of  Sa'dfs  Gulistdn.  [This 
is  broken  off  abruptly  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence 
at  the  beginning  of  Anecdote  28 ;  the  last  page 
of  the  manuscript  is  left  blank,  as  if  the  copyist 
had  been  interrupted  in  his  work.] 

Text  on  the  margins  of  the  hook. 

fol.  2h-2fia.  Farid  ad-Dln  *Attar's  Mantiq  at-Tair  (practi- 

cally complete), 
fol.  386-58^.         From  Jalal  ad-Din  Rumi's  Masnawi. 


86 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


fol.  58^655.  From  Na§ir  Khusrau's  Raushana'i  (cf .  Browne, 

Lit.  Hist,  of  Persia,  2.  221,  244-246).  [It  may- 
be noted  that  on  fol.  656  (on  the  side  margin) 
near  the  close  of  the  selections  there  is  given  the 
date  343  A.H.  (=  954-955  a.d.),  which  thus 
agrees  with  the  date  in  the  Leyden  manuscript 
and  two  Paris  manuscripts  as  opposed  to  the 
other  noted  by  Browne,  Lit.  Hist.,  2.  244-245.] 

fol.  66a-75a.  A  discourse  in  verse  upon  prayer  and  cere- 
monial observances  by  Mulla  Sharaf  ad-Din 
Bukhari  (1303  a.d.;  cf.  Ethe,  Neupersische 
Litteratur,  p.  309). 

fol.  75^-88(1,  A  versified  composition  entitled  Ahkdr  at- 
Afkdr,  'Maiden  Thoughts,'  being  stories  about 
feminine  ornaments  and  maiden  meditations. 

fol.  885-97a.  Ten  letters  in  verse  by  Rukn  ad-Din  Auhadi 
of  Maragha  and  Isfahan,  who  died  about  738 
A.H.  =  1337  A.D.  (See  Rieu,  2.  619 ;  and  Muq- 
tadir,  i.  200-202.) 

fol.  97&-102&.        From  Sa'di's  Bustdn. 

fol.  103a.  From  Jami. 

fol.  lo^b-iosa,  Ghazals,  or  odes,  by  various  authors  (Kha- 
qani,  Firdausi,  Saraj  ad-Din  of  Balkh,  Farid 
ad-Din  al-Ahul,  Farid  ad-Din  'Attar,  A§ir 
ad-Din  Akhsikati,  Shaikh  Sa'di,  Fakhr  ad-Din 
Ra'is  Mahmud,  Rafi'  ad-Din  Abhari,  Maulana 
Sharaf  ad-Din,  Maulana  Saraj  ad-Din  Qamari, 
from  the  Shah-namah,  EJiaqani  [repeated], 
Sayyid  Hasan  Ghaznavi,  Farid  ad-Din  ^Attar 
[repeated],  Af(Jal  ad-Din  Kirmani). 

fol.  io5a-io65.  Selection  from  Jami's  Yusuf  and  Zulaikhd, 
describing  how  Joseph  is  carried  captive  to 
Egypt  and  is  seen  by  Potiphar's  wife.  [A  lacuna 
follows,  see  remark  as  to  fol.  ii8a  below.] 

fol.  loja-iiyb.  From  Sa'di's  Bustdn  (a  selection  of  thirty-six 
stories). 

fol.  iiSa-i24a  top.  From  Jami's  Yusuf  and  Zulaikhd.  [The 
story  of  Joseph  is  abruptly  resumed,  some  pages 
having  presumably  been  lost.] 


NIZAM 


87 


fol.  I24a-i25a  top.  A  composition  in  verse  called  Nan  u 
Halwd,  or  'Bread  and  Sweetmeats '  (relating  to 
ascetic  life,  by  Shaikh  Baha'i,  who  died  in  1620 
or  1621  A.D.). 

fol.  i2$a  top-i26i  bottom.  NatdHj  al-Afkdr,  or  'Reflections/  in 
ghazal  form. 

fol.  1266  bottom-i27a  top.    Fifteen    RubdHs,   or  Quatrains. 

[No  author  is  named  in  direct  connection  with 
these  quatrains,  although  'Umar  Khayyam's 
name  appears  in  the  list  of  authors  on  the  first 
title-page  of  the  manuscript;  but  thus  far,  as 
noted  above,  it  has  not  been  possible  to  identify 
any  of  these  quatrains  with  those  in  received 
editions  of  his  verses.] 

fol.  127&.  From  the  Sdqi-ndmah  of  Mashriqi  (cf.  Rieu, 

p.  682a,  683a.) 

fol.  128a.  A  selection  from  Jami. 

fol.  1286-133(1.  Prose  selections  from  ^Imc^^s^Ushshdq-ndmah, 
[These  supplement  in  a  manner  the  selections 
from  the  same  author  in  the  body  of  the  text  and 
are  headed  by  the  words  'Praise  and  Gratitude 
to  God.'] 

fol.  133^-136(1.  Verses  and  prose  passages  on  'Admonition' 
by  'Iraqi.  [In  the  decorative  marginal  title- 
band  are  the  words:  'Praise  be  to  the  Lord  of 
Praise.'  The  first  sixteen  lines  of  the  text  are 
in  Arabic ;  the  rest  that  follows  is  in  Persian.] 

fol.  136^-144^.  Verses  and  prose  passages  on  'Admonition' 
continued.  [In  the  decorative  title-band  are  the 
words:  'In  the  Name  of  God;  we  desire  His 
Praise!'] 

fol.  1446-163^.  Prose  selections  relating  to  theological  and 
spiritual  matters.  [In  the  decorated  marginal 
band  is  simply  the  heading:  'I  triumph  in  the 
Praise  of  God. '] 


Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  two  illuminated  title- 
pages,  with  a  series  of  names  of  authors  and  words  ornately 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 

introduced  into  small  circles  around  the  central  inscribed 
vignettes,  have  been  mentioned  above.  Throughout  the  work 
there  are  ornamental  panel  headings  as  introductions  to  the 
principal  selections  or  paragraphs,  and  similarly  rhomb- 
shaped  bands  are  let  into  the  margins  to  indicate  the  various 
sections;  there  are  likewise  decorative  flower  designs  on 
the  margins,  and  gold  is  freely  used  throughout  as  an  added 
embellishment. 

There  are  i6  full-page  miniatures  and  5  marginal  minia- 
tures, the  marginal  paintings  being  employed  to  illustrate 
the  material  that  occurs  in  the  marginal  texts.  All  the 
miniatures  are  the  work  of  a  single  artist  under  the  Bukharan 
influence,  and  in  style  they  seem  to  represent  the  art  of 
Persia  in  the  first  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  to  which 
the  manuscript  belongs.  The  more  specific  details  as  to 
the  illuminations  here  follow. 

I  (a)  fol.  ib-2a.   Illuminated  title-pages. 

(b)   fol.  2b-^a.    Illuminated  title-pages  of  Ni?ami's  Makhzan 
al-Asrdr,  or  'Treasury  of  Mysteries.' 

1  fol.  46  (full  page).   Ascension  of  Mu^iammad  to  heaven  in 

a  vision.  (Illustrating  Ni?ami's  Makhzan  al- 
Asrdr.) 

2  fol.  iia  (margin).    Shaikh  San'an  falls  in  love  with  a 

Christian  girl.  (Illustration  of  Farid  ad-Dln 
*  Attar's  story  —  cf.  Browne,  Lit.  Hist.,  2. 
513-) 

3  fol.  13^  (margin).    Shaikh  San'an  and  his  Christian  sweet- 

heart united. 

II  {c)    fol.  136.        Decorative  head-band  to  Ni?ami's  Khusrau 
and  Shirin. 

4  fol.  196  (full  page).    King  Khusrau  riding  out  on  his  horse 

Shabdiz,  *  Black-as-night.' 

5  fol.  246  (full).    Shirin  goes  to  see  the  sculptured  work  of 

Farhad,  her  artist-lover. 

6  fol.  306  (margin).   The  dervish  who  was  to  be  hanged  for 


NIZAMI  89 

love  of  his  prince  dies  when  he  beholds  him. 
(Illustrating  'Attar's  Mantiq  at-Taifj  ch.  44, 
pf.  Garcin  de  Tassy,  p.  224-229.) 

III  {d)  fol.  34&.  Decorative  head-band  to  Ni?amf  s  Laila  and 

Majnun. 

7  fol.  406  (full).    Combat  between  Majnun's  friend  Naufal 

and  the  tribe  of  Laila. 

8  fol.  446  (margin).    Muhammad  and  'All. 

IV  [(e)]  [No  title-heading  has  been  preserved  for 

Ni?ami's  story  of  Bahram  Gur,  owing  to  the 
loss  of  several  folios  in  the  manuscript,  as  noted 
above.] 

9  fol.  50&  (full).    Bahram  Gur  and  his  sweetheart  Fitnah 

(both  in  the  upper  part  of  the  picture).  (Illus- 
trating the  well-known  story  of  Bahram  Gur, 
told  by  Ni?ami  as  well  as  by  Firdausi,  on  *  prac- 
tice makes  perfect.') 

10  fol.  S2a  (full).    Bahram  Gur  and  the  Princess  in  the  Red 

Palace.  (Illustrating  Ni?ami's  romance  of 
Bahram  Gur.) 

11  fol.  56a  (full).    The  man  drowned  in  the  well.  (Illus- 

trating Ni^ami's  story  alluded  to  above  (p.  78), 
under  manuscript  10,  fol.  336.) 
V  (/)  fol.  64&.        Illuminated  head-band  to  Ni?ami's  first  divi- 
sion of  the  Book  of  Alexander,  here  called  Sharaf- 
ndmah. 

(g)  fol.  816.  Illuminated  head-band  to  the  second  division, 
which  here,  however,  bears  the  title  Kitdb- 
i  Iskandar-ndmah. 

12  fol.  856  (margin).    A  convivial  scene  between  two  young 

men.  (Illustrating  the  treatise  called  *  Maiden 
Thoughts,'  which  is  written  on  the  margin.) 

13  fol.  gib  (full).    Alexander  in  India  sees  some  maidens  in 

swimming.  (Illustration  of  a  passage  in  Nizami's 
Book  of  Alexander,  second  part.) 
VI  (h)  fol.  9S&.         Decorative  head-band  to  selection  from  Fir- 
dausi's  Shdh-ndmah. 

14  fol.  ggb  (full).    Gushtasp  plays  polo  with  the  Emperor  of 

Rum,  with  whose  daughter  he  has  fallen  in  love. 


go 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


(To  illustrate  a  passage  in  the  selection  from  the: 
Shdh-ndmah.) 

15  fol.  1026  (full).    An  equestrian  scene.    (To  illustrate  a 

selection  from  Sa'  dl.) 
VII  {i)  fol.  1036.        Head-band  to  Qasidahs  by  various  authors. 
VIII  (7)  fol.  107a.        Decorative  head-band  to   the   Ghazals  of 
Salman  of  Sawah. 

16  fol.  128a  (full).    A  king  enjoying  music  and  wine.  (To 

illustrate  a  reference  by  Jami  in  the  marginal 
text.) 

IX  {k)  fol.  128&.        Decorative  head-band  for  'Iraqi's  Lama' at. 
(I)  fol.  135a.        Illuminated  title-panel  —  *  God  is  the  Lord  of 
success. ' 

(m)  fol.  137a.        Illuminated  title-panel  —  'God  is  the  Lord  of 
success.' 

(n)  fol.  154&.        Illuminated  introductory  panel  in  Kufic. 
X  {0)  fol.  157^1.        Introductory  head-band  to  Sa'di's  Gulistdn, 
but  not  inscribed. 


* 


III 


JALAL  AD-DIN  RUMI 


JALAL  AD-DIN  RUMI 


(1207-I273  A.D.) 

Jalal  ad-Din  Rumi,  the  most  renowned  of  the  Persian  philosopher- 
poets  and  one  of  the  greatest  of  Eastern  mystics,  was  born  September  30, 
1207  A.D.,  in  Balkh,  an  ancient  city  still  existing  in  Northern  Afghan- 
istan. 

Trained  by  his  father,  Baha  ad-Din,  a  noted  teacher  who  was  de- 
scended from  a  noble  family,  Jalal  became  imbued,  from  the  outset, 
with  the  Sufi  doctrines  of  Divine  Love  and  spiritual  longing  for  union 
of  the  soul  with  the  Supreme  Being.  His  father's  mystic  teachings 
and  preaching,  however,  aroused  the  opposition  of  the  ruling  monarch 
at  the  time ;  as  a  consequence,  parent  and  son,  the  latter  still  a  small 
boy,  were  obliged  to  leave  Balkh. 

Accompanying  his  father,  the  lad  journeyed  westward,  visiting 
Mecca  and  making  various  sojourns  at  other  places,  until  after  a 
number  of  years  they  both  found  royal  protection  and  patronage  at 
Iconium  (Quniah)  in  Rum,  or  Asia  Minor,  the  name  Rum  being 
applied  to  that  portion  of  the  Byzantine  Empire  of  Rome.  From  his 
long  residence  in  this  territory  he  received  the  appellation  Rumij  *  the 
Rumian,  or  Roman.' 

On  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1231  a.d.,  he  succeeded  to  the  headship 
of  the  collegiate  institution  at  Iconium,  which  the  latter  had  held. 
Much,  therefore,  is  known  regarding  Rumi's  personal  history,  his 
family  life,  and  the  career  which  raised  him  to  high  renown  as  a 
mystic  philosopher,  poetic  teacher,  and  religious  devotee,  down  to 
the  time  of  his  death  on  Sunday,  December  17,  1273  a.d. 

The  fact  that  Jalal  ad-Din  Rtimi  was  the  founder  of  the  Maulawi 
sect  of  Whirling,  or  dancing,  dervishes,'  so  called,  will  always  be  asso- 
ciated with  his  name,  and  for  that  reason  he  is  perhaps  most  often 
designated  by  the  title  Maulana,  '  Our  Lord,'  i.e.  of  the  Monastic 
Order.  The  establishment  of  this  noted  sect  was  made  in  commem- 
oration of  the  death  of  a  wandering  dervish,  Shams  ad-Din  of  Tabriz,  in 
1246  A.D.,  under  the  strong  influence  of  whose  esoteric  teachings  Rumi 

93 


94 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


had  come  three  years  before,  and  largely  in  honor  of  whose  memory 
he  also  composed  a  series  of  lyric  poems,  highly  spiritual  in  tone, 
afterwards  collected  into  a  Diwdn. 

Rumi's  lasting  poetic  fame,  however,  rests  on  the  Masnawi,  a  work 
of  about  30,000  couplets,  in  six  books,  teaching  moral  philosophy  and 
mysticism  under  the  guise  of  an  allegorical  interpretation  of  verses 
in  the  Qur'an,  and  through  the  medium  of  anecdotes,  precepts, 
parables,  and  legends,  esoteric  in  meaning.  This  work  complete  is 
contained  in  the  manuscript  described  below. 

For  abundant  biographical  and  bibliographical  material  regarding 
Rumi  see  H.  Ethe,  Neupersische  Litteratur,  in  Geiger  and  Kuhn's  Grundriss, 
2.  289-291 ;  P.  Horn,  Geschichte  der  persischen  Litteratur,  p.  161-168 ;  and 
E.  G.  Browne,  Literary  History  of  Persia,  2.  515-525.  In  regard  to  the 
Masnawi,  reference  may  be  made  to  an  abridged  translation  into  Enghsh 
by  E.  H.  Whinfield,  Mathnawl,  London,  1898,  which  is  a  standard  work; 
and  to  a  partial  rendering  into  German  by  G.  Rosen,  Mesnevt,  Leipzig, 
1849.  The  first  book  of  the  Masnawi  has  been  turned  into  English  also  by 
J.  W.  Redhouse,  1881 ;  and  the  second  book  has  been  admirably  translated 
and  commented  on  in  two  volumes  by  C.  E.  Wilson,  The  Masnavi,  Book  II, 
London,  1910  (Probsthain  &  Co.).  For  the  Diwan  consult  also  R.  A. 
Nicholson,  Selected  Odes  from  the  Diwdn,  Cambridge,  1898;  W.  Hastie, 
London,  1903 ;  and  compare  F.  H.  Davis,  Persian  Mystics,  London,  1907. 


RUMI 


95 


Rumi :  Masnawi,  complete  in  six  books.  The  manuscript  belongs 
to  the  last  quarter  of  the  fifteenth  century,  being  dated  in 
1489  A.D. ;  it  is  handsomely  illuminated,  besides  being 
illustrated  by  four  full-page  miniature  paintings. 

Size.  —  iii  X  7I  in.  (28.5  X  19.0  cm.) ;  written  surface,  yf  X  4f 
in.  (19.6  X  12.0  cm.).  Folios  355.  One  folio  is  missing  at 
the  end  of  the  third  book,  before  fol.  172,  and  one  is  lost 
at  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  book,  before  fol.  297. 

Binding.  —  Original  Oriental  binding  in  a  golden  brown  leather. 
The  outside  covers  have  a  blind-pressed  rectangular  field 
gracefully  decorated  with  tendril  traceries,  and  slightly 
dusted  with  gold ;  the  whole  is  then  surrounded  with  panels, 
stamped  with  a  floweret  design,  and  bound  by  a  double 
gilt  cording.  The  inside  covers  are  of  maroon  leather  with 
an  elongated  medallion  and  corner  angles  of  perforated  gilt 
work  upon  a  hght  bluish  background ;  the  field  is  framed  by 
a  gilt  cording. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Written  in  good  clear  Nasta^liq  of  medium 
size,  20  lines  to  a  page  in  four  columns,  outlined  by  rulings 
of  green,  orange,  gold,  and  blue.  There  are  a  great  number 
of  rubrics  giving  the  title,  or  subject,  of  the  many  poetic 
themes.  The  paper  is  of  medium  weight  and  is  strong  in 
texture ;  it  has  a  cafe  au  lait  tinge  and  shows  a  slight  sheen. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  date  is  given  three  times  in  the  manu- 
script in  figures  as  894  a.h.  =  1488-1489  a.d.,  first  at  the 
end  of  the  first  book  (fol.  58a),  then  at  the  end  of  the  second 
book  (fol.  io8a),  and  finally  in  the  colophon.  The  copying 
was  therefore  completed  in  one  year,  but  no  months  are 
mentioned.    The  scribe  does  not  give  his  name. 

Memorandums.  —  On  the  front  fly-leaf,  at  the  upper  left-hand 
corner,  is  a  stock  number  written  in  Persian,  and  a  kindred 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


annotation  in  English  figures.  On  the  back  of  the  first 
folio  is  a  Persian  memorandum,  but  it  is  partly  defaced  and 
can  not  be  deciphered  with  the  exception  of  a  date,  '  year 
1 193  A.H.  [=  1779  A.D.].'  On  the  top  of  this  page,  toward  the 
left-hand  corner,  is  an  impression  of  an  oval  seal,  but  it  is 
not  legible. 

On  the  last  page  of  the  text  (fol.  355^),  to  the  right  of 
the  colophon,  is  a  Persian  inscription  that  reads :  *  In 
the  year  1259  a.h.,  in  the  month  of  Safar  [=  March,  1843], 
at  the  time  when  (I  was)  in  the  city  of  Khamsah  [in  a  district 
in  northwestern  Persia]  this  book  of  Maulawi  [i.e.  Rumi] 
(may  God  have  mercy  upon  him !)  was  received  by  the  humble 
servant  as  a  present  from  his  lordship,  the  noble  prince  and 
vicegerent  Mahdi  Quli  Mirza  (may  his  glory  and  rule  be 
everlasting!).'  Directly  following  this,  and  still  to  the  right 
of  the  colophon,  is  another  memorandum,  partly  obliterated, 
but  the  close  of  it  can  be  made  out  as  follows :  '  The  Padi- 
shah Muhammad  Shah,  whose  justice  is  like  that  of  Jam, 
in  the  month  of  Rabf  awwal,  1260  a.h.  [=  March,  1844].' 
The  reference  is  evidently  to  Muhammad  Shah,  of  Persia, 
who  was  ruling  at  that  time.  A  memorandum  to  the  left 
of  the  colophon  has  been  effaced,  and  some  seals  and  a  short 
notation  have  been  similarly  obliterated. 

On  the  back  of  the  last  fly-leaf  are  two  memorandums  in 
Persian ;  the  longer  one  reads,  with  repetitions,  as  follows : 
'  Huwa  [i.e.  God]  is  the  Lord  whose  aid  is  besought.  The  date 
of  the  birth  of  the  Light  of  the  Eyes,  Mirza  Hasan  ^Ali  (may 
the  Lord  of  the  World  protect  and  bless  his  birth!)  was  the 
nineteenth  of  the  month  of  Muharram,  on  Monday,  19th  of 
the  month  of  Muharram,  1264  a.h.  [=  Dec.  27,  1847].'  The 
shorter  memorandum,  just  above  it,  reads :  ^  The  birth  of 
the  Light  of  the  Eyes,  Nushabah,  was  in  the  month  of  Safar, 
1265  a.h.  [=  January,  1849].    May  God  bless  the  birth  ! ' 


RUMI 


97 


Throughout  the  codex  there  are  numerous  marginal 
annotations,  which  may  be  classified  as  follows :  (i)  variant 
readings  from  other  manuscripts;  (2)  certain  additional 
couplets  taken  from  another  copy  or  copies  with  which  this 
manuscript  has  been  compared ;  (3)  explanations  of  certain 
difficult  or  archaic  words. 

Subject  and  Arrangement,  —  The  Masnawi  of  Rumi  in  about 
28,000  couplets;  the  manuscript  is  divided  into  six  books 
(daftars),  each  introduced  by  a  separate  'unwan,  or  illumi- 
nated title-piece.  —  I.  The  first  book,  beginning  with  a 
single  page  of  prose  preface  in  Arabic,  occupies  fol.  16- 
58a.  —  II.  The  second  book  opens  with  a  page  of  prose 
preface  in  Persian,  and  occupies  fol.  586-108^.  —  III.  The 
third  book,  without  a  preface,  comprises  fol.  1086-17  2a. 
—  IV.  The  fourth  book,  without  preface,  covers  fol.  1726- 
234a.  —  V.  The  fifth  book,  with  two  pages  of  prose  preface 
in  Arabic  and  Persian,  occupies  fol.  234&-296&.  —  VI.  The 
sixth  book  comprises  fol.  297a-355&. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  manuscript  has  five 
'unwans,  or  title-pieces,  of  rich  design  and  soft  coloring. 
The  two  opening  pages,  moreover,  of  Books  I,  II,  and  III 
are  heightened  by  heavy  gold  interHneations  with  orange, 
blue,  and  yellow  studdings.  Reference  has  already  been 
made  to  the  frequent  rubric  headings  in  the  text.  The 
margins  around  the  four  miniatures  are  highly  embellished. 
These  paintings  appear  to  be  the  work  of  two  different 
artists.  The  two  frontispiece  scenes  of  the  chase  and  the 
fine  miniatures  on  fol.  2966,  with  ornate  borders  of  blue 
illumination,  may  be  from  a  single  brush.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  miniature  on  fol.  172a,  with  its  heavy  gold  back- 
ground and  gilded  margin,  appears  to  be  by  a  different 
hand.  All  four,  however,  recall  the  style  of  the  later 
Timurid  period.    <Now,  since  the  appearance  of  Martin's 


98 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


book,  it  may  be  added  that  the  exceptional  miniature  on 
fol.  172a  closely  resembles  in  certain  details,  especially  in 
the  drawing  of  the  plane  tree  and  the  lineaments  of  the 
bearded  elderly  man,  two  paintings  by  Bahzad  (Martin, 
2.  pi.  756,  J4a;  cf.  I.  44)  in  a  manuscript  dated  1485  a.d., 
or  three  years  earKer  than  the  present  codex,  which  bears 
the  date  1488-1489  a.d.  > 

The  main  points  regarding  the  illuminations  and  illustra- 
tions are  as  follows :  — 

1-2  fol.  ib-2a.    Two  frontispiece  miniatures  representing  scenes 
from  the  chase. 

I  (a)  fol.  2b.        Illuminated  *unwan,  or  title-piece,  to  Book  One. 

This  page  and  fol.  3a  have  also  the  gold  interlin- 
eation between  the  verses,  as  described  above. 
II  (b)  fol.  58^.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  Book  Two,  with  gold 
interlineation  on  this  and  the  following  page. 

III  (c)  fol.  Illuminated  title-piece  to  Book  Three,  with  simi- 

lar gold  interlineations  oh  both  pages. 

3  fol.  172a.      Miniature  painting  of  two  persons  listening  to 

readings  by  two  poets  to  the  accompaniment  of 
music.  [Possibly  the  gray-bearded  man  may  repre- 
sent Rumi,  and  the  person  seated  on  his  left  may, 
perhaps,  be  Ilasan  Husam  ad-Din,  his  favorite 
pupil  and  amanuensis.]  <For  a  comment  on  this 
miniature,  see  above,  p.  97-98.  > 

IV  (d)  fol.  i72^>.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  Book  Four. 
V  (e)  fol.  2346.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  Book  Five. 

4  fol.  296^.       Miniature  of  a  youthful  king  seated  upon  a 

pavilion  throne  on  a  terrace  overlooking  a  garden, 
and  served  by  two  attendants. 
VI  [(f)]  [The  'unwan  to  Book  Six  is  missing,  owing  to  the 

loss  of  a  leaf  between  folios  296  and  297.] 


IV 
SA'DI 


SA*Dl 


(1184-1291  A.D.) 

Sa'dl,  poet  and  moralist,  and  generally  conceded  to  be  the  most 
popular  writer  in  Persian  literature,  was  born  about  the  year  11 84  a.d. 
in  Shiraz,  Southern  Persia,  where  his  father  appears  to  have  held  an 
official  position  under  the  Atabek  rulers  of  Fars.  After  his  father's 
death  he  received  educational  aid  for  a  long  time  froiji  the  Atabek 
prince,  Sa'd  bin  Zangi,  in  honor  of  whom  he  assumed  the  literary 
name  Sa'di  by  which  he  is  known  to  fame.  This  patronage  enabled 
the  young  man  to  study  at  Baghdad  until  1226  a.d.,  and  among  his 
teachers  was  the  eminent  Shams  ad-Din  Abu'l  Faraj  ibn  al-Jauzi, 
whose  portrait  with  the  youthful  Sa'di  is  depicted  in  the  first  minia- 
ture in  manuscript  No.  13,  described  below. 

For  the  next  thirty  years  of  his  life,  or  from  1226  to  1256,  he  traveled 
as  a  dervish  pilgrim  through  many  lands,  visiting  Northeastern  Iran, 
India,  Arabia,  Abyssinia,  Syria,  Northern  Africa,  and  Asia  Minor. 

In  1256,  when  over  seventy  years  of  age,  he  returned  to  his  native 
city  and  devoted  the  rest  of  his  long  life  to  the  literary  pursuits  which 
he  had  begun  in  his  early  days.  In  the  next  year  he  had  finished  his 
poetic  work,  the  Bustdtij  in  ten  cantos  of  verse,  and  in  the  following 
twelvemonth,  1258,  he  had  completed  his  still  more  famous  Gulistdn, 
a  Persian  classic  in  prose  and  verse,  upon  which  his  greatest  renown 
rests,  especially  as  an  ethical  teacher.  He  was  the  author  likewise  of  a 
large  number  of  lyric  and  miscellaneous  compositions,  as  is  shown  by 
the  contents  of  the  manuscript  No.  13,  described  below,  which  contains 
his  works  complete,  except  the  Pand-ndmah,  the  authenticity  of  which 
is  doubtful.    Sa'di's  death  occurred  in  1291  a.d. 

For  further  details  regarding  Sa'di's  life  and  works,  consult  Browne, 
Literary  History  of  Persia^  2.  525-539;  Ethe,  Neupersische  Litteratur,  p. 
292-296 ;  Horn,  Geschichte  der  persischen  Litteratur,  p.  168-175 ;  and  compare 
Jackson,  Persia  Past  and  Present,  p.  zzz-zZS- 

lOI 


I02 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


13 

Sa^di:  KuUiyyat,  or  works  complete.  This  large  manuscript 
contains  the  collected  works  of  Sa^di,  and  belongs  apparently 
to  about  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.  It  is  em- 
belHshed  by  a  full-page  illuminated  frontispiece  and  nu- 
merous half-page  title-pieces,  besides  other  ornamenta- 
tions; and  it  is  illustrated  by  twelve  miniatures,  two  of 
these  preceding  the  frontispiece  as  full-page  paintings, 
and  two  of  them,  likewise  full-page,  following  the  close  of 
the  book.  All  the  miniatures  except  the  first  one  are  from 
the  brush  of  a  single  artist,  who  remains  anonymous. 

Size.  —  i6j  X  8J  in.  (41.5  X  21.5  cm.) ;  written  surface,  qJ 
X  5  in.  (25.2  X  13.0  cm.).  Folios  480.  There  are  missing 
three  folios  —  one  each  between  folios  99-100,  140-141, 
474-475  —  but  otherwise  the  codex  seems  to  be  complete, 
even  though  a  few  catchwords  have  been  accidentally 
omitted.  A  Persian  memorandum  on  the  back  of  the  last 
folio,  four  times  repeated  in  words  and  in  figures  by  two 
different  hands,  gives  the  number  as  ^  four  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  folios  '  or  ^  487  folios  ' ;  but,  as  the  pages  were 
not  numbered,  the  count  may  not  have  been  quite  exact, 
as  such  mistakes  have  been  found  in  Persian  countings  in 
other  manuscripts  that  are  complete. 

Binding.  —  Persian  binding  of  black  leather  with  blind-pressed 
designs  in  gilt.  These  gilded  patterns  on  the  exterior  of 
the  covers  comprise  a  large  oblong  medallion  with  double 
pendants  above  and  below;  the  corner  angles  harmonize 
in  style,  and  there  is  a  running  flowered  border  of  gilt  to 
frame  the  field.  On  each  of  the  two  small  oval  pendants 
directly  above  and  below  the  central  medalHon  of  both 
outer  covers,  and  thus  four  times  repeated,  is  tooled  in 
raised  Persian  letters :  ^  The  work  {'amal)  of  Hasan  ibn 


Recitation  of  Poems  to  the  Accompaniment  of  iMusic 
Ms.  No.  12,  fol.  172rt  (see  page  98) 


sa'di 


103 


al-Husaini  Muhammad.'  This  seems  to  refer  to  the  name 
of  the  binder  who  executed  the  work ;  but  if  another  inter- 
pretation should  be  given,  namely  that  it  referred  to  the 
calligraphist  who  copied  the  work,  the  conjecture  might 
be  made  that  it  was  the  famous  penman  Hasan  ibn  Muham- 
mad, of  Larissa,  who  transcribed  a  manuscript  in  161 1  a.d. 
(  =  1020  A.H.),  according  to  Huart,  Les  Calligraphes  et  les 
miniaturistes,  p.  263. 

The  interior  of  the  covers  is  of  a  dark  tan  leather 
without  gilding  or  color,  but  ornamented  with  blind-pressed 
corner  angles  and  a  central  medallion  offset  by  four  pendants 
that  form  a  cross. 

The  pages  have  not  been  trimmed,  but  the  folios  have 
been  remounted  when  the  binding  was  repaired;  the  re- 
pairing may  account  for  the  loss  of  the  three  missing  folios. 

Writing  and  Paper,  —  The  writing  is  in  a  good  bold  Nasta^iq 
hand.  The  prose  portions  are  written  in  a  single  broad 
column  and  in  a  narrower  marginal  column;  the  verse 
portions,  in  a  double  column  and  in  a  marginal  column  of 
the  same  size  as  before.  The  body  columns  run  16  lines 
to  a  page;  the  marginal  columns  run  12  lines  to  a  page. 
Broad  gold  rules  divide  the  columns,  and  heavy  outlines 
in  colors  frame  the  written  part  of  the  page,  the  whole 
being  then  enclosed  by  a  thin  double  ruling  of  black  near 
the  edge.  There  are  numerous  words  written  in  rubrics 
in  the  Preface  and  in  the  Gulistdn.  The  paper  is  of  a  rather 
heavy  quality  with  an  ivory  finish  and  runs  fairly  even. 
The  first  two  folios  with  double  illuminations  and  paintings 
are  of  an  extra  heavy  paper. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  manuscript  gives  neither  the  name  of 
the  scribe  nor  the  date,  but,  judging  from  the  style  of  the 
miniatures  and  illuminations,  it  belongs  approximately  to 
the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century.    Compare  also  the 


I04 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


possibility  referred  to  above,  under  ^  Binding/  The  quality 
of  the  scribe's  handwriting  has  already  been  mentioned. 
Memorandums.  —  There  are  memorandums  on  the  margins  of 
a  half  dozen  or  more  folios,  but  they  are  not  of  special  im- 
portance—  for  example,  a  chance  jotting  on  foL  410a  'Jahan- 
gir  Khan  ^Alamgir  ' ;  on  fol.  217a  an  explanation  of  an  allusion 
to  the  Avesta  and  its  Commentary  Avasta  u  Zand  ') ;  in- 
cidental marginal  references  to  Amir  Khusrau ;  also  a  few 
others,  not  worthy  of  particular  notice.  On  the  back  of  the 
last  page,  as  mentioned  above,  there  is  a  Persian  memo- 
randum in  regard  to  the  number  of  folios  and  one  also  as 
to  the  purchase  of  the  book. 

There  are  seal  impressions  on  several  of  the  folios.  An 
oval  one  on  fol.  3136  bears  the  motto,  *  O  God,  blessings 
be  upon  Muhammad ! ' ;  this  is  likewise  twice  stamped  on 
fol.  318&.  On  fol.  318&,  besides  this  motto-seal,  there  is 
an  oval  signet  bearing  the  name  of  Muhammad  Sadiq, 
and  a  small  square  motto-seal,  twice  impressed, '  0  Muham- 
mad, help  me  to  understand.'  On  fol.  389a  is  a  double 
impression  of  a  small  square  signet  bearing  the  name  Ghu- 
1am  'All. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  manuscript,  as  already  stated, 
contains  the  collected  works  of  >Sa'di  arranged  as  follows : 
I.  Preface,  by  'Ali  bin  Ahmad,  fol.  26-46. — II.  Six  Risalahs, 
or  Treatises,  thus  arranged :  (a)  First  Risalah,  fol.  46-9^ ; 
(Z>)  Second  Risalah  (though  not  numbered  so  in  this  copy) 
containing  the  five  majlises,  or  homilies,  fol.  9^-28^;  (c) 
Third  Risalah  (here  numbered  as  second),  fol.  28^-296; 
(d)  Fourth  (third)  Risalah,  fol.  296-3 2a;  (e)  Fifth  (fourth) 
Risalah,  fol.  32^-426 ;  (/)  Sixth  Risalah,  consisting  of  three 
short  tracts,  fol.  426-47^.^ — III.  Gulistdn,  fol.  476-130^. — 

*  The  order  of  these  Risalahs  and  the  beginnings  of  the  subdivisions  is 
the  same  as  that  given  by  Muqtadir  and  Ross,  Catalogue  of  Arabic  and 


sa'di 


IV.  Bustdn,  fol.  i30&-230(r.  —  V.  Arabic  Qastdahs,  fol.  2306- 
239a.  —  VI.  Persian  Qastdahs,  fol.  239&-2646.  —  VII. 
MdrsHydt,  or  Elegies,  fol.  26^h-26gb.  —  VIII.  Tarji^dt,  or 
Refrain  Poems,  2 696-2  7  5a.  —  IX.  Tayyibdl,  or  Pleasant 
Odes,  2756-362^.  —  X.  Badd'i\  or  Artificial  Odes,  3626- 
403a. — XI.  KhawdHntj  or  Signet-rings,  4036-41 9a. — 
XII.  Ghazaliyydt-i  Qadimah,  or  Early  Odes,  fol.  41 96-42 7a. 

—  XIII.  Sdhibiyyahj  or  Epigrammatic  Poems  in  Muqatta^di 
form,  dedicated  to  Shams  ad-Din,  Sahib-Diwan,  fol.  4276- 
450a.  —  XIV.  Mutayyibdty  or  Jocular  Poems,  fol.  4506-459(1. 

—  XV.  Mudhikdtj  or  Facetiae,  fol.  4596-467a.  —  XVI. 
RubdHydt,  or  Quatrains,  fol.  467^-4766.  —  XVII.  Fardiydt, 
or  Detached  Distichs,  fol.  4766-479^. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  codex,  as  stated  above, 
is  particularly  rich  in  illuminated  ^unwans,  or  title-pieces 
to  the  numerous  works  it  contains.  In  addition  to  these, 
each  page  has  gilt  section-headings  adorned  with  flower 
patterns  and  inscribed  in  white  ink,  with  corner  angles  that 
correspond  in  design.  There  are  twelve  illustrative  minia- 
tures, usually  half-page  in  size,  but  two  of  these  which 
precede  the  frontispiece  and  two  which  follow  the  last 
folio  are  whole-page  paintings.  All  the  pictures  except  that 
on  the  first  folio  are  the  work  of  a  single  artist,  whose  name, 
however,  is  not  given.  In  style  these  miniatures  recall  the 
general  characteristics  of  the  Transoxianian  school  of  art; 
and  in  certain  details,  especially  the  projecting  turbans  of 
the  women,  they  remind  one  of  the  paintings  by  an  artist 
named  Mahmud  in  a  manuscript  copied  at  Bukhara  to- 
wards the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  as  reproduced 
by  Blochet,  Peintures  des  manuscrits  per  sans,  pi.  19; 
compare  likewise  two  of  the  sixteenth-century  miniatures 

Persian  Manuscripts  in  the  Library  at  Bankipore,  i.  133-136,  145,  although 
the  numbering  is  slightly  different. 


io6 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


from  Firdausi's  Shdh-ndmah  (polo-match)  and  Sa^di's 
Gulistdn  (Anushlrwan)  in  D'Allemagne,  Du  Khorassan, 
compte  rendu,  Paris,  191 1.  <Now  compare  also  four  minia- 
tures from  a  manuscript,  dated  1 539,  reproduced  by  Martin, 
Miniature  Painting,  2.  pi.  141-142,  and  i.  116-117,  by 
an  artist  called  Shaikh-zadah  Mahmud.>  This  would 
be  in  accord  with  the  probable  date  of  the  introductory  full- 
page  painting  (fol.  i5)  by  a  different  artist,  also  anonymous, 
as  the  style  of  that  painting  recalls  an  earlier  type  of  the 
work  represented  by  ^Ali  Naqi,  whose  three  miniatures  in 
the  Shah-namah  Ms.  No.  4  (fol.  246,  looa,  102a)  have 
been  alluded  to  above.  A  list  of  the  miniatures  and  illumi- 
nations follows :  — 

1  fol.  ih.        The  youthful  Sa^di  and  his  teacher  Abu'l  Faraj 

ibn  al-Jauzi.  This  is  in  accordance  with  the 
Persian  note  in  minuscule  hand  at  the  bottom 
of  the  painting,  which  reads  'The  Sage  and  Sa'di 
of  Shiraz.'  (The  ornamental  borders  on  this 
and  the  next  page  are  worthy  of  special  notice.) 

2  fol.  2a.        A  ruler  in  his  palace.    The  ruler  represented 

is  probably  Sa^dl's  patron,  Sa'd  bin  Zangi,  the 
Atabek  of  Fars,  from  whom  Sa'di  took  his  poet- 
ical name,  and  who  died  in  1226  a.d.  (In  the 
illuminated  head-piece  above  the  picture  are 
given  the  titles  of  three  of  the  Risdlahs,  or  prose 
treatises,  that  follow.  The  ornamental  borders 
match  those  on  the  preceding  page.) 
I  (a)  fol.  2b,  Illuminated  full-page  title,  with  an  ornate 
border  containing  the  names  of  most  of  the 
works  in  the  codex. 
II  (b)  fol.  4&.       Inscribed  ornamental  band  and  corner  angle  as 

titles  to  the  collection  of  Risdlahs. 
Ill  (c)  fol.  476.       Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Gulistdn, 

3  fol.  89a.      The  head  of  a  village  thanks  the  king  for 

accepting  his  humble  hospitality  over  night. 
(To  illustrate  a  story  in  Sa'di's  Gulistdn,  3.  20.) 


sa'di  107 

4  fol.  99^.       A  youth  in  an  ordinary  station  of  life,  who 

had  lost  his  heart  to  a  princess,  dies  at  her  feet 
,       when  she  speaks  to  him  as  she  is  out  riding.  (To 
illustrate  a  story  of  youth  and  love  in  the  Gul- 
•istdn,  5.  4.) 

IV  (d)  fol.  I  sob.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Bustdn. 

5  fol.  1 526.       The  servants  of  one- of  the  monarchs  of  Ghur 

make  obeisance  before  him  in  joy  when  they  find 
him  after  he  had  been  lost  all  night.  (To  illus- 
trate a  story  in  Sa'df  s  Bustdn^  i.  678-753.) 

6  fol.  204&.       A  man  complained  to  Da'ud  of  Tai  that  a 

Stifi  mystic  was  drunk  and  had  fallen  in  the 
street ;  as  a  rebuke  to  the  informer,  for  not  con- 
cealing the  faults  of  another,  Da'ud  bade  him 
bring  the  man  to  him  on  his  own  back.  (To 
illustTSite  BustdUy  7.  117-133.) 
V  (e)  fol.  230&.  Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Arabic  Qastdahs, 
VI  (J)  fol.  239^>.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Persian  Qa^idahs, 

7  fol.  252a.      A  lover  falls  before  the  feet  of  his  beloved  in 

a  wood  and  praises  her.    (To  illustrate  a  passage 
in  the  Persian  Qasfdahs.) 
VII [(g)  fol.  264^.      The  title-band  to  the  Elegies  is  outlined  on  the 

margin,  but  left  blank.] 
VIII  (h)  fol.  2696.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Refrain  Poems. 
IX  (i)  fol.  2756.       Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Tayyihdt,  or 
Pleasant  Odes. 

8  fol.  343<z.      A  scene  of  dancing  and  music.    (An  illus- 

tration for  the  Odes.) 
X  (/)  fol.  362^.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Artificial  Odes. 

9  fol.  389a.      A  scene  of  lovers  and  their  friends  in  a  garden. 

(To  illustrate  one  of  the  Artificial  Odes.) 
XI  ik)  fol.  403&.       Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  poems  called 
^Signet-rings.^ 

10  fol.  4i6^>.      A  garden  scene.    (To  illustrate  one  of  the 

'  Signet-ring '  poems.) 
XII  (/)  fol.  4r9&.       Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Early  Ghazals. 

XIII  (w)  fol.  4276.       Illuminated    title-piece   to    the  ^Sdhibiyyah 

Poems. 

XIV  (n)  fol.  450&.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Jocular  Poems. 


I08  PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 

XV  (o)  fol.  4596.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Mudhikat. 
XVI  {p)  fol.  467a.       Illuminated  title-band  to  the  RuhdHyat. 
XVII  iq)  fol.  4766.       Small   ornamented   marginal   band   to  the 
Fardiyat. 

11  fol.  4796.       Preparing  a  noonday  meal  on  an  outing. 

(This  miniature  is  directly  connected  in  subject 
with  the  one  on  the  next  page.) 

12  fol.  480a.      A  part  of  the  preceding  out-of-door  scene ;  two 

of  the  persons  are  playing  chess  while  the  others 
are  differently  engaged. 


14 

Sa'di:  Bustan,  or  '  Garden  of  Perfume.'  An  illustrated  and 
illuminated  manuscript,  of  not  later  date  than  the  second 
quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century,  very  beautifully  written 
and  embellished  by  highly  ornate  borders.  The  copy  is 
particularly  interesting  because,  as  is  known  from  the  seals 
and  memorandums,  it  was  a  much-read  volume  in  the  royal 
library  of  the  Mughal  Emperor  Shah  Jahan  and  of  his  son 
Aurangzib. 

Size.  —  9i  X  6|  in.  (24.7  X  16.5  cm.) ;  written  surface,  6|  X  3^  in. 
(16.5  X  8.7  cm.) ;  the  covers  are  not  the  original  ones  and 
they  measure  considerably  larger  than  the  pages.  Folios  158, 
the  last  page  being  blank.  There  are  no  folios  missing ;  in 
two  instances,  however  (fol.  13&  and  57^),  the  catchword  is 
wrongly  taken  from  the  beginning  of  the  second  line  on  the 
following  page  instead  of  from  the  first  line,  but  nothing  is 
wanting.  Five  folios  are  misbound  between  folios  43  and 
49 ;  the  proper  order  should  be  fol.  45,  44,  48,  46,^47,  instead 
of  the  present  arrangement. 


sa'di 


109 


Binding.  —  Recased  in  ordinary  Oriental  flap-covers  of  red 
leather.  The  original  binding  must  have  been  different, 
for  it  is  spoken  of  in  a  Persian  memorandum  (see  F  below) 
on  the  last  page,  made  by  one  of  the  royal  librarians  and 
dated  in  1649  A.D.,  as  ^  a  cover  of  smooth  {raughanl,  lit. 
*  oleose,  oily,  or  glossy  ')  leather.' 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  The  handwriting  is  an  extremely  hand- 
some Nasta^liq,  and  is  particularly  mentioned  in  the  royal 
librarian's  memorandum  {F),  as  noted  below.  The  copy 
is  written  14  lines  to  a  page  in  two  gold-ruled  columns. 
The  paper  is  of  a  heavy  quality,  and  the  written  part  of 
each  folio  is  inset  with  perfect  skill  in  a  highly  ornate  broad 
border  described  below. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  manuscript  is  not  dated  in  the  colophon, 
but,  judging  from  the  seals  and  memorandums,  the  earliest 
one  (see  A  below)  being  dated  in  1647  a.d.,  it  probably 
belongs  to  the  earlier  half  of  Shah  Jahan's  reign,  or  the 
second  quarter  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  name  of 
the  scribe  is  given  in  the  colophon  asPayandah  Muhammad. 

Memorandums.  —  The  front  and  back  folios  are  covered  with 
seals  and  memorandums  in  Persian  which  show  that  the 
manuscript  belonged  to  the  library  of  the  Mughal  Emperor 
Shah  Jahan  and  of  his  son  Aurangzib.  Two  of  these  seals 
on  the  first  page  and  three  on  the  last  bear  Shah  Jahan's 
name,  joined  each  time  with  that  of  a  different  court  official ; 
and  Aurangzib 's  signet  on  the  first  page  and  on  the  last  is 
each  time  combined  also  with  a  different  official's  name. 
The  seals  appear  to  have  been  stamped  at  various  times 
(the  intervals  sometimes  being  short),  and  the  memoran- 
dums added,  by  custodians  of  the  Imperial  Library,  as  noted 
below.  The  probable  order  in  which  the  signets  were  im- 
pressed, so  far  as  can  be  judged  from  their  position  and 
certain  dates  in  memorandums  nearby,  is  as  follows :  — 


no 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


Seal  I.  (First  page,  lower  large  seal.)  This  seal  reads:  'Shah 
Jahan  —  Salih  was  his  Murshid  [i.e.  preceptor  and  spiritual 
guide].'  ^  This  Salih  was  one  of  the  preceptors  at  court,  as 
his  name  is  mentioned  by  the  Venetian  physician  Manucci 
as  the  tutor  of  Shah  Jahan's  son,  Aurangzib.  He  had 
received  a  pension  from  Shah  Jahan  and  had  expected  a 
larger  stipend  when  his  former  pupil,  Aurangzib,  came  to 
the  throne.  He  was  rebuffed,  however,  and  was  sent  off  in 
disgrace  because  Aurangzib  remembered  his  teaching  only 
with  dissatisfaction  (see  Manucci,  Storia  do  Mogor,  or 
Mogul  India  J  translated  by  G.  W.  Irvine,  2.  29-33,  London, 
1906;  possibly  compare  also  Sachau  and  Ethe,  Cat.  Pers. 
Mss.  Bodl.  Lib. J  col.  683,  no.  1094). 

Seal  2.  (Last  page,  lower  left  seal.)  This  reads:  'Shah  Jahan, 
Padishah  of  Divine  Sovereignty.  The  devoted  Murid, 
Sayyid  (  ?)  Ahmad/  The  title  murid  for  a  divinity  student 
is  explained  in  the  footnote  below. 

Seal  3.  (Last  page,  upper  left  seal.)  This  is  the  same  as  seal  i 
and  reads:  'Shah  Jahan  —  Salih  was  his  Murshid.' 

Seal  4.  (Last  page,  upper  right  seal.)  *  Shah  Jahan's  Murshid 
[i.e.  preceptor]  was  Muhammad  'AlL'  ' 

Seal  5.  (First  page,  upper  right  seal.)  This  seal  reads  '  Shah 
Jahan  —  'Inaiat  Khan,  1068  a.h.  [=  1658  a.d.].'  This  'Inaiat 
Khan  was  doubtless  the  same  one  who,  as  is  known  from  the 
contemporary  court  records,  was  employed  in  the  office  of 
the  Imperial  Library  of  Shah  Jahan.  He  was  the  author 
of  a  history  of  Shah  Jahan's  reign,  the  Shdh-Jahdn-ndmah, 
as  well  as  of  other  works ;  and  a  notice  of  him  says:  'He  was 
witty  and  of  agreeable  manners,  and  was  one  of  the  intimate 
friends  of  Shah  Jahan;  latterly  he  retired  from  office  and 
settled  in  Kashmir,  where  he  died,  1077  a.h.  [=  1666  a.d.].' 
(See  Elliot,  History  of  India,  7.  73-74;  compare  likewise 
Beale,  Oriental  Biographical  Dictionary,  p.  179,  London, 

1  The  word  murshid,  'leader,  instructor,  spiritual  guide,  monitor,'  is  a 
title  given  to  a  member  of  a  higher  religious  order,  especially  of  the  Sufis. 
The  word  murid,  lit.  'one  who  is  desirous,'  denotes  a  pupil  or  disciple  of 
such  a  spiritual  guide,  a  divinity  student,  or  aspirant  for  higher  reUgious 
knowledge  in  the  advanced  order  to  which  his  superior  belongs. 


sa'di 


III 


1894;  also  Sachau  and  Ethe,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss,  Bodl.  Lib., 
col.  457,  no.  513.) 
Seal  6.  (Last  page,  middle  left  seal.)  Illegible,  but  beside  it  is  a 
memorandum  (/,  as  given  below),  dated  Dhi'l-Hajjah  18, 
1068  A.H.  =  Sept.  16,  1658  A.D.,  or  three  months  after  Shah 
Jahan  had  been  shut  up  in  his  palace  as  a  prisoner  by  his 
son  Aurangzib. 

Seal  7.  (Last  page,  middle  right  seal.)  The  darkly  inked  signet, 
containing  the  name  of  Aurangzib,  who  was  called  also 
'Alam-gir,  *  World-controller,'  reads:  ^  'Alam  Gir,  Padishah. 
.  .  .  [illegible]  Khan.' 

Seal  8.  (First  page,  upper  left  seal.)  This  likewise  contains 
Aurangzib 's  name  and  a  co-signature,  and  reads:  '  'Alam 
Gir,  Padishah.  —  Sayyid  *Ali  al-IJusaini,  Murid  [i.e,  the 
divinity  student].' 

Seal  9.  (First  page,  lower  left.)  This  smaller  dark  seal  is  illegible 
as  regards  the  name,  but  contains  the  title  ^  the  Servant  of  the 
Court,'  showing  that  it  was  stamped  by  a  royal  official. 

Seal  10.  (First  page,  center  seal.)  This  pear-shaped  seal  of 
apparently  later  date  is  so  badly  stamped  that  too  few 
letters  are  legible  to  allow  it  to  be  deciphered. 

Seal  II.  (Last  folio,  158a,  near  colophon.)  A  small  oval  seal 
bearing  the  name  of  Shukr  Khan  —  twice  repeated.  Two 
other  seals  near  it  have  been  obliterated. 

Seal  12.  (Front  fly-leaf,  upper  left  seal.)  This  small  octagonal 
seal  is  dated  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  century 
and  contains  a  verse  from  the  Qur'an  (14.  7),  'If  ye  be 
thankful  I  shall  give  you  increase  — 1203  a.h.  [=  1788- 
1789  A.D.].' 


There  are  a  large  number  of  special  memorandums, 
mostly  adjacent  to  the  seals ;  they  were  doubtless  added  by 
the  custodians  of  the  Imperial  Library  in  connection  with 
the  intrusting  or  transferring  (tahwU)  of  the  manuscript  from 
the  keeping  of  one  official  to  that  of  another,  either  at  the 
time  of  a  change  of  office  or  for  some  special  consignment. 
Further  notes  as  to  the  inspection  of  the  book  at  such  times 


112 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


or  its  perusal  on  particular  occasions  ('ard-didah)  are  still 
more  frequently  added,  sometimes  in  connection  with  the 
seal,  but  sometimes  without  any  signature  or  seal,  although 
the  date  is  always  recorded.^  In  several  instances  the 
handwriting  in  these  memorandums  is  by  one  and  the  same 
individual.  The  order  of  these  notations,  judging  from  the 
dates,  is  approximately  as  follows :  — 

A.  (Memorandum,  first  page,  bottom, below  seal  i  of  Shah  Jahan.) 
This  memorandum  reads:  'Bustan  was  intrusted  (tahwil)  to 
Khwajah  Shihab,  for  the  use  of  the  divinity  students  (munddn)^ 
first  day  of  Dhi'l-Hajjah,  year  20th  of  the  Blessed  Reign,  cor- 
responding to  the  year  1056  Hijri  [i.e.  Jan.  8, 1647  a.d.].  —  Value 
one  hundred  pieces  [i.e.  rupees].'  This  Khwajah  Shihab  is  the 
same  person  to  whom  the  book  was  again  intrusted  three  years 
later  (year  23d  of  the  reign),  as  is  recorded  in  a  memorandum 
near  the  top  of  the  last  page,  and  he  is  probably  the  Shihab  whose 
name  appears  on  a  seal  dated  with  Hhe  year  23,'  mentioned  in 
the  catalogue  of  Pertsch,  Handschriften  der  kdniglichen  Bibliothek 
zu  Berlin,  Pers.  Ess.,  p.  857-858,  Berlin,  1888.  One  might  pos- 
sibly suggest  that  this  Shihab  was  the  same  as  Shihab  ad-Din 
Ahmad  Talish,  who  wrote  a  history  of  Aurangzlb  in  1662  a.d., 
cf.  Beale,  Oriental  Biographical  Dictionary,  p.  360. 

B.  (Memorandum,  last  page,  to  right  of  seal  2  of  Shah  Jahan.) 
This  memorandum  reads:  ^Intrusted  {tahwil)  to  Muhammad 
Man§ur,  25th  of  the  month  Safar,  year  21  [i.e.  1057  a.h.  =  April  i, 
1647  A.D.].    Value  one  hundred  pieces  and  fifty  [i.e.  1 50  rupees].  * 

C.  (Memorandum,  first  page,  to  left  of  illegible  seal  10.)  *  In- 
spected [or  perused]  {'ard-didah  shud)  22  of  Jumada  a§-§am, 
year  21  [i.e.  1057  a.h.  =  July  25,  1647  a.d.].' 

D.  (Memorandum,  last  page,  bottom,  under  seal  2  of  Shah 
Jahan.)  'Inspected  [or  perused]  {'ard-didah  shud)  ...  of  Rabi' 
al-Awwal,  year  22  [i.e.  1058  a.h.  =  March-April,  1648  a.d.].' 

1  Such  appears  to  be  the  usage  of  the  terms  tahwil  and  'ard-didah.  Pro- 
fessor Edward  G.  Browne,  of  Cambridge,  England,  in  a  letter  kindly  com- 
municated on  the  subject,  rightly  observes  that  these  terms  are  peculiar  to 
India  and  to  manuscripts  of  Indian  origin. 


SA^DI 


E.  (Memorandum,  last  page,  left  top,  over  seal  3  of  Shah  Jahan.) 
*  Inspected  [or  perused],  the  second  of  the  blessed  (month) 
of  Ramadan,  in  the  year  22  [i.e.  1058  a.h.  =  Sept.  20,  1648  a.d.].' 

F.  (Last  page,  top  right,  near  seal  4  of  Shah  Jahan.)  This  is  a 
palimpsest  inscription,  the  former  writing  having  been  prac- 
tically erased.  The  memorandum  as  preserved  contains  a 
double  item,  the  first  being  a  brief  description  of  the  book; 
to  this  is  added  a  second  note  as  to  its  being  consigned  or  in- 
trusted. The  whole  reads  as  follows:  'Bustan,  in  elegant 
script,  white  paper,  margins  inlaid,  cover  of  smooth  leather .  .  . 
[illegible].  —  It  was  intrusted  (tahwtl)  to  Khwajah  Shihab  for 
the  divinity  students  (muriddn)  on  the ...  of  Dhi'l-Hajjah,  the 
year  23  of  the  Blessed  Reign  [i.e.  1059  a.h.  =  Dec.  — ,  1649 
A.D.].  Value  one  hundred  rupees.'  On  Shihab  see  above, 
memorandum  A. 

G.  (Memorandum  in  center  of  last  page.)  *  Inspected  [or 
perused],  24th  of  the  month  Sha'ban,  the  year  25  of  the  Blessed 
Reign  [i.e.  1061  a.h.  =  Aug.  12,  1651].' 

H.  (Memorandum,  last  page,  lower  right-hand  corner.)  'In- 
spected [or  perused],  23d  of  Dhl-Hajjah,  year  26  [i.e.  1062  a.h. 
=  Nov.  25,  1652].' 

I.  (Memorandum,  first  page,  lower  right.)  'Inspected  [or  pe- 
rused], 17  (?  or  7)  of  Rabf  al-Awwal,  year  30  [i.e.  1066  a.h.  = 
Jan.  14  (?  or  4),  1656  a.d.].' 

/.  (Memorandum,  first  page,  upper  right,  below  seal  $  of  Shah 
Jahan.)  'Inspected  [or  perused],  23d  of  Jumada  a§-§ani, 
year  32  [i.e.  1068  a.h.  =  March  28,  1658].' 

K.  (Memorandum,  last  page,  right  hand  margin,  below  seal  7  of 
'Alam-gir.)  'Was  intrusted  {tahwtl)  to  Mun'im  Beg,  9th  of 
Rajab,  year  32  [i.e.  1068  a.h.  =  April  12,  1658].'  (It  might 
be  hazardous  to  try  to  connect  this  Mun'im  Beg  with  the  poet- 
soldier  Mun'im  Shaikh,  who  is  recorded  as  fighting  in  a  battle 
the  next  year,  Dec.  1659;  cf.  Beale,  Or.  Biog.  Did.,  p.  279.) 

L.  (Memorandum,  last  page,  middle  left,  near  illegible  seal  6.) 
'Inspected  [or  perused]  {'ard-didah  shud)  i8th  of  Dhi'l-Hajjah, 
year  1068  =  32  (reign)  [i.e.  Sept.  16,  1658].' 

M.  (Memorandum,  first  page,  lower  left  margin,  near  seal  9.) 
'Inspected  [or  perused],  17th  of  Rabi'  a§-§am,  year  1069  a.h. 
[  =  Jan.  12,  1659].' 


114  PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 

X.  (Small  memorandum,  last  page,  lower  right,  just  above  mem- 
orandum H.)  'Inspected  [or  perused],  i6th  of  Safar,  year  7  (?) 
[i.e.  probably  of  Aurangzib's  reign,  or  about  Sept.  8,  1664  a.d.].' 

Y.  (Memorandum,  last  page,  middle  right,  or  slightly  below  and  to 
the  left  of  Aurangzib's  seal  7.)  'Inspected  [or  perused],  12th  of 
Rajab,  year  13  [probably  of  Aurangzib's  reign,  i.e.  1082  a.h. 
=  Nov.  14,  167 1].' 

Z.  (Memorandum,  last  page,  below  seal  2.)  The  dates  are 
obliterated  so  that  the  year  can  not  be  determined.  The  mem- 
orandum, so  far  as  it  can  be  deciphered,  reads:  'It  was  in- 
trusted (tahwtl)  to  .  .  .    Value,  one  himdred  rupees.' 

Fly-leaf,  On  the  fly-leaf,  in  addition  to  the  seal  (12)  described  above, 
there  are  three  incidental  jottings  by  later  hands.  That  to  the 
right  has  six  verses  from  a  Persian  mystic  love  poem.  The  one 
to  the  lower  left  is  another  Persian  memorandum  stating :  '  The 
book  of  Bustan  was  purchased  from  Karim  Khan  Qanbarali 
through  the  kindness  of  .  .  .  for  .  .  .  [price  obliterated].'  The 
third  note,  just  below  the  small  seal,  contains  a  prayer  in  behalf 
of  some  one  who  has  died ;  it  reads:  '  Then  the  Hand  of  Provi- 
dence carried  the  poor  servant  .  .  .  [name  erased]  to  his  destina- 
tion ;  may  God  establish  his  honor!  ' 

Other  memorandums.  There  are  a  few  memorandums  of  no  importance 
written  by  a  later  hand  in  black  ink  at  the  top  of  four  or  five 
pages,  for  example,  the  title  of  the  chapter  in  only  two  cases, 
fol.  6ya,  Sib,  and  the  title  of  the  poetic  story  in  merely  two  or 
three  instances. 

Subject.  — The  celebrated  poetic  work  of  Sa^di,  written  in  1257 
A.D.,  in  ten  chapters,  as  follows :  —  (a)  Introduction,  fol. 
ib-Sb.  —  I.  First  Chapter,  On  Justice  and  Government, 
fol.  Sb-4Sb.  — 11.  Second  Chapter,  On  Benevolence,  fol. 
4Sa-66b.  —  III.  Third  Chapter,  On  Love,  fol.  67^-81^.  — 

IV.  Fourth   Chapter,   On   Humility,   fol.   8ia-io26.  — 

V.  Fifth   Chapter,  On   Resignation,  fol.    102&-110&. — 

VI.  Sixth  Chapter,  On  Contentment,  fol.    iio^-ii5&. — 

VII.  Seventh  Chapter,  On  Education,  fol.  ii55-i33a. — 

VIII.  Eighth  Chapter,  On  Gratitude,  fol.  133(1-143^.  — 


sa'di 


"5 


IX.  Ninth  Chapter,  On  Repentance,  fol.  143(1-1 54a.  — • 

X.  Tenth  Chapter,  On  Prayer,  fol.  154^-1 58a. 
Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  copy  is  noteworthy  for 

the  elaborate  decoration  of  its  inlaid  borders.  The  broad 
margins  are  ornamented  with  gold  flowered  designs  of  the 
greatest  variety,  no  two  pages  being  exactly  alike,  though 
similar  in  effect.  Colored  vignettes  of  different  patterns 
and  varying  shades  of  yellow,  blue,  and  green  are  then 
inset,  five  vignettes  to  a  page,  and  adorned  with  gilded 
traceries.  The  section-headings,  one  or  more  on  each 
folio,  are  written  in  red  ink  and  heightened  by  gold  filigree 
work.  There  is  also  a  small  'unwan  at  the  beginning  of  the 
book. 

The  three  miniatures  which  illustrate  the  manuscript 
are  the  work  of  a  single  artist,  but  no  name  is  given.  In  the 
point  of  the  expression  of  the  faces  they  are  better  than  in 
the  matter  of  execution  or  design;  in  certain  traits  they 
recall  features  of  the  Transoxianian  style,  but  in  many 
respects  they  are  unique.  Especially  noteworthy  is  the 
delineation  of  the  nose,  particularly  on  fol.  47a.  The  sub- 
jects illustrated  are  as  follows :  — 

I  {a)  fol.  ih.      Small  illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Bustdn. 

1  fol.  30&.     A  religious  devotee,  who  was  summoned  to  pray 

for  the  king's  recovery,  says  that  his  prayer  will  do  no 
good  unless  the  king  releases  all  prisoners  and  provides 
alms  for  the  poor. 

2  fol.  47a.    A  Fire-worshiper  was  received  at  the  board  of  Abraham 

the  Patriarch,  but  as  the  Gabr  began  to  eat  without 
first  giving  thanks  to  God,  Abraham  ejected  him  from 
the  house.  (The  figure  of  Abraham  is  recognizable  by 
the  nimbus  around  the  head.) 

3  fol.  94&.    King  Salih  of  Syria  entertaining  two  dervishes  in  his 

palace.  (For  King  Salilj  see  d'Herbelot,  Bihliotheque 
orientaUj  3.  173,  The  Hague,  1778.) 


V 

THE  INDO-PERSIAN  POET 
AMIR  KHUSRAU  OF  DELHI 


Baiikam  (tvr  in  the  Red  Palace 
Ms.  No.  15,  fol.  159a  (see  page  123) 


AMIR  KHUSRAU  OF  DELHI 


(1253-1325  A.D.) 

Amir  Khusrau  of  Delhi,  India's  greatest  Persian  poet,  was  an  imitator 
of  Ni?ami,  the  romantic  poet  of  Persia,  and  lived  at  the  court  of  the 
Khalji  Monarch,  'Ala  ad-Din,  of  Delhi,  India,  where  he  died,  Nov. 
6,  1325,  and  where  his  tomb  is  still  shown  in  the  environs  of  the 
older  city. 

Amir  Khusrau's  Khamsah,  or  'Quintet,'  is  modeled  on  the  work  of 
his  famous  Persian  romantic  predecessor,  though  with  an  individuality 
still  his  own.  The  titles  and  dates  of  these  five  works  are  as  follows : 
I.  Matla^  at- Anwar,  or  'Rising  of  the  Luminaries,'  corresponding  to 
Ni?ami's  Makhzan  al-Asrdr,  and  written  by  Amir  Khusrau  in  698  a.h. 
=  1298  A.D.  —  2.  Shirin  u  Khusrau,  an  imitation  of  Nizami's  romantic 
epopee  on  the  love  of  King  Khusrau  of  Persia  and  the  fair  Shirin, 
written  by  Amir  Khusrau,  698  a.h.  =  1298  a.d.  —  3.  Majnun  u 
Laild,  also  an  imitation  of  Nizami's  poem  of  the  same  name,  and 
finished  in  698  a.h.  =  1 298-1 299  a.d.  —  4.  AHnah-i  Iskandari,  or 
'Mirror  of  Alexander  the  Great,'  parallel  with  Ni?ami's  Iskandar- 
ndmah,  and  finished  in  699  a.h.  =  1299  a.d.  —  5.  Easht  BahisU,  or 
'Eight  Paradises,'  the  eight  love-romances  of  the  Sasanian  King 
Bahram  Gur,  written  in  701  a.h.  =  1302  a.d.  All  of  these  works, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Hasht  Bahisht,  were  dedicated  to  the  Khalji 
ruler  of  India,  Sultan  'Ala  ad-Din  (i 296-1316  a.d.).  Amir  Khusrau 
was  the  author  likewise  of  several  other  poems,  notably  a  collection 
of  lyrics  that  antedate  IJafi?  in  point  of  time,  and  of  poems  on  historic 
and  romantic  events  connected  with  his  own  contemporaries  in  high 
positions. 

In  the  present  manuscript  the  order  of  the  last  two  of  the  five 
romances  is  inverted  and  follows  Nizami's  arrangement  rather  than 
the  chronological  order  of  Amir  Khusrau's  work.^ 

*  In  this  particular  copy,  moreover,  the  date  of  composition  is  included 
in  only  three  of  the  poems,  namely  in  Shirin  and  Khusrau,  on  fol.  102 ft, 

119 


I20 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


15 

Amir  Khusrau  of  Delhi :  Khamsah,  or  ^  Quintet/  five  romantic 
poems  modeled  upon  Nizami.  A  very  beautiful  small 
manuscript  in  Indian-Persian  style,  not  dated,  but  belong- 
ing to  the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  period 
of  the  later  Mughal  court.  The  seventeen  exquisite  minia- 
tures which  adorn  the  work  are,  for  the  most  part,  signed, 
and  the  majority  of  them  are  by  a  single  artist,  Muhammad 
Salim,  who  appears  to  have  been  a  painter  at  the  court  of 
the  Mughal  Emperor  Aurangzib;  three  others  bear  the 
signatures  of  two  different  artists. 

Size.  —  7f  X  5  in.  (19.6  X  12.5  cm.) ;  written  surface,  6f  X  3I 
in.  (16.2  X  9.2  cm.).  Folios  246,  including  a  blank 
page  or  even  two  and  more  after  each  of  the  five  poems. 
Three  foHos  are  missing,  one  each  after  fol.  149,  151, 
211. 

Binding.  —  Rebound  in  old  red  morocco,  bordered  with  a 
flowered  band  of  gilt ;  the  inside  covers  are  of  a  simple  dark 
green  leather,  requiring  no  special  comment. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Written  in  a  handsome  small  Nasta^liq 
script,  19  lines  to  a  page  in  four  columns,  gold- ruled  and 
containing  frequent  rubric  captions  together  with  pink 
interlineations  in  the  verses  above  and  below  the  miniatures. 
The  paper  is  of,  an  exceptionally  fine  Indian  quality  and 
has  the  effect  of  vellum;  a  heavier  weight  paper  is  used 
for  the  pages  containing  the  miniatures,  except  in  the  case 

as  698  A.H.  =  1298  A.D. ;  in  Majnun  and  Laild,  on  fol.  1380,  as  the  same  year 
(698  A.H.)  although  there  is  a  mistake  in  the  copying  of  the  wording,  'six 
hundred  and  ninety  sixty/  the  last  Persian  word  shast,  'sixty/  having  been 
erroneously  copied  instead  of  hasht,  'eight';  finally,  in  A'tnah-i  Iskandan, 
on  fol.  24sa,  in  words  as  'one  less,  than  nine  ( ! )  hundred,'  an  error  for  one 
less  than  seven  hundred,  i.e.  699  a.h.  =  1299  a.d. 


AMIR  KHUSRAU  OF  DELHI 


121 


of  the  first  picture.  The  written  surface  of  all  the  pages 
is  lightly  sprinkled  with  gold. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  Not  mentioned  in  the  body  of  the  text,  al- 
though it  may  be  reasonably  gathered  from  external 
and  internal  evidence  that  the  manuscript  was  written  in 
the  latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  century  and  by  MuUa 
Muhammad  Amin,  as  explained  in  the  footnote  below.^ 

Memorandums.  —  As  observed  in  the  footnote  below,  there  is 
on  the  back  of  the  first  illuminated  page  a  Persian  memo- 
randum, ^  Khamsah  (Quintet)  of  Khwajah  Khusrau  in  the 
handwriting  of  Mulla  Amin,'  and  similarly  on  the  label 
on  the  back  of  the  binding.    The  title  of  each  poem  is 

^  The  evidence,  which  seems  plausible,  is  as  follows :  Seven  out  of  a  dozen 
miniatures,  which  are  practically  identical  in  style,  are  signed  by  the  artist 
Muhammad  Salim,  as  already  noted  and  as  will  be  further  explained  below ; 
one  (134&)  is  signed  as  'by  a  substitute  for  Muhammad,'  the  artist  giving 
only  Muhammad's  name  and  remaining  himself  anonymous.  The  style  of 
all  of  the  paintings  by  Muhammad  Salim  recalls  directly  that  of  the  minia- 
tures made  by  an  artist  Muhammad  for  the  Venetian  Nicolao  Manucci,  who 
was  court  physician  to  Aurangzib  (reigned  in  1 659-1 680),  and  who  left  India 
in  1690,  carrying  with  him  a  collection  of  portraits  from  this  painter's  brush. 
Of  him  Manucci  says :  'The  artist  was  a  friend  of  mine,  Mir  [i.e.  the  noble] 
Muhammad,  an  official  in  the  household  of  prince  Shah  'Alam'  (see  Manucci, 
Storia  do  Mogor,  or  Mogul  India,  translated  by  G.  W.  Irvine,  i.  p.  liv, 
London,  1906;  and  compare  Blochet,  Peintures  de  manuscrits  araheSj 
per  sans,  et  turcs,  p.  26,  Paris,  191 1).  It  seems  plausible  to  conjecture, 
especially  from  the  style,  that  the  artist  is  the  same  as  the  one  referred  to 
by  Manucci,  and  the  time  would  thus  be  in  the  reign  of  Aurangzib.  The 
scribe's  name  appears  to  have  been  Mulla  Muhammad  Amln,  if  the  name  be 
correctly  given  in  the  Persian  memorandmn  on  the  back  of  the  first  illumi- 
nation, fol.  la,  as  'by  the  handwriting  of  Mulla  Amin'  and  then  repeated 
on  the  label  on  the  back  of  the  binding  as  'by  the  handwriting  of  Muhammad 
Amin.'  There  may  be  some  possibility  that  this  was  the  same  as  the  Mulla 
Muhammad  Amin  to  whom  is  ascribed  the  compilation  of  the  Dabistan, 
shortly  before  Aurangzib  came  to  the  throne  (cf.  Rieu,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss., 
I.  142).  If  so,  it  would  accord  with  the  date  assigned;  but  the  point  is 
not  strongly  urged. 


122 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


jotted  in  Persian  on  the  blank  page  before  it  begins.  On 
the  last  folio  (246a)  is  a  small  oval  seal  of  an  owner  whose 
name  was  Shah  Rukh. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  '  Quintet '  already  described, 
arranged  as  follows:  I.  Matla^  al- Anwar  (fol.  i&-44a). — 
II.  Shirln  u  Khusrau  (fol.  466-1026).  —  III.  Majnun 
u  Laild  {io\.  1036-1386).  —  IV.  Easht  Bahisht  (fol.  1396- 
185a).  — V.  A^lnah-i  Iskandarl  (fol.  i866-246a). 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations. — There  are  two  beautiful  'unwans 
as  frontispieces  to  the  manuscript  and  also  smaller  ones, 
equally  fine,  as  title-pieces  to  the  five  books.  The  frequent 
rubric  letterings  and  pink  interlineations  have  been  already 
referred  to.  The  miniatures,  seventeen  in  number,  are  par- 
ticularly fine,  especially  the  portraits,  which  are  character- 
istic of  the  period  of  Mughal  art.  Seven  of  these  paintings 
(fol.  46,  54^?,  68a,  94a,  128a,  1776,  200a)  are  signed  by  the 
artist  Muhammad  Salim;  a  conjecture  has  been  made  in 
the  footnote  above  as  to  the  possibility  of  identifying  him 
with  the  artist  at  Aurangzib's  court  who  did  the  miniatures 
for  Manucci ;  it  is  likewise  probable  that  this  Muhammad 
painted  also  the  miniatures  on  fol.  8ia,  ma,  120a,  156a, 
and  1 5 9a,  though  the  signature  is  missing.  The  miniature 
on  1346  is  marked  as  the  work  of '  a  substitute  for  Muham- 
mad,' but  the  artist's  own  name  is  not  given;  he  may 
possibly  have  painted  172a,  though  that  has  been  retouched. 
Two  other  miniatures,  165a  and  2066,  are  signed  by  another 
artist  whose  name  was  Lachin.  The  subjects  of  the  minia- 
tures are  as  follows  : 

I  {a-h)     fol.  ih-2a.    Illuminated  title-pages  to  Matla^  al-Anwar. 

1  fol.  46.        Muhammad's  ascent  to  heaven  in  a  vision. 

Signed  in  the  crown  by  Muhammad  Salim. 
II  {c)       fol.  466.      Title-heading  to  Shirin  and  Khusrau. 

2  fol.  54a.      Khusrau  beholds  a  portrait  of  Shirln,  which 


AMIR  KHUSRAU  OF  DELHI 


123 


had  been  drawn  by  a  Chinese  artist.  Signed 
near  the  bottom  by  Muhammad  Salim. 

Shirin  goes  on  horseback  to  see  the  marvel- 
ous carvings  on  the  rocks  by  her  sculptor- 
admirer,  Farhad.  Signed  above  the  rock  by 
Muhammad  Salim. 

Khusrau's  skill  in  hunting. 
Khusrau  and  Shirin  in  the  palace.    Signed  at 
the  bottom  by  Muhammad  Salim. 
Title-heading  to  Majnun  and  Laild. 
Laila  and  Majnun  in  love  as  school-children. 
Majnun,  the  distraught  lover,  as  a  recluse. 
Laila    visits    Majnun    in   the  wilderness. 
Signed  near  the  bottom  by  Muhammad  Salim. 

Death  of  Laila.    Signed  at  the  bottom  by  a 
'substitute  for  Muhammad.* 
Title-heading  of  Hasht  Bahisht. 
Bahram  Gur  in  the  Green  Palace. 
Bahram  Gur  in  the  Red  Palace. 
Bahram  Gur  in  the  Purple  Palace.  Signed  on 
the  vase  by  Lachin. 
Bahram  Gur  in  the  Sandal  Palace. 
Bahram  Gur  in  the  Camphor-colored  Palace. 
Signed  on  the  steps  by  Muhammad  Salim. 
Title-page  of  A'inah-i  Iskandart. 
Alexander  in  battle  with  the  Kipchaks  of 
China.    Signed  at  the  bottom  by  Muhammad 
Salim. 

16  fol.  2066.      Alexander  breaks  the  arm  of  the  Ruler  of  the 

Kipchaks  of  China.  Signed  near  the  lower 
right-hand  corner  by  Lachin. 

17  fol.  2336.      Alexander  and  his  ship  on  the  'Western  Sea 

near  Damascus.' 


3 

fol.  6Sa. 

4 

fol.  8ia. 

5 

fol.  94a. 

III  (d) 

fol.  1035. 

6 

fol.  ma. 

7 

fol.  1 20a. 

8 

fol.  128a. 

9 

fol.  134&. 

IV  (e) 

fol.  isgb. 

10 

fol.  156a. 

II 

fol.  159a. 

12 

fol.  i6$a. 

13 

fol.  172^7. 

14 

fol.  177&. 

V  (/) 

fol.  1866. 

15 

fol.  2QOa. 

VI 


« 


/ 


HAFIZ 


(C.  I325-C.  1389  A.D.) 

Hafi?,  Persians  famous  lyric  poet  and  one  of  the  great  lyrists  of  the 
world,  was  born  in  Shiraz,  a  city  in  Southern  Persia  that  had  given 
birth  to  his  renowned  predecessor  Sa'di.  The  real  name  of  Uafiz 
was  Muliammad  Shams  ad-Din,  but  he  is  known  to  fame  by  the  title  of 
Hdfiz^  an  attribute  which  signifies  *  having  a  retentive  memory,'  and 
which  was  bestowed  upon  him  as  a  student  *who  knew  the  whole 
Qur'an  by  heart.' 

So  talented  a  scholar  would  naturally  win,  as  did  Hafiz,  the  cultured 
patronage  of  the  princes  and  rulers  of  the  line  that  held  sway  in  Shiraz 
and  over  Southern  Persia.  A  number  of  them  are  mentioned  in  his 
odes ;  among  them  (see  below)  were  Shah  Shuja'  and  Shah  Man§iir, 
but  especially  the  former  ruler's  able  vizir,  Khwajah  Qiwam  ad-Din 
(d.  1363),  who  was  the  poet's  particular  friend  and  benefactor.  This 
last-named  patron  founded  a  Muhammadan  theological  academy  in 
honor  of  ^Jafi?,  and  in  this  institution  the  poet  held  a  professorial  chair 
for  a  time.  His  severance  from  that  position  appears  to  have  been 
owing,  on  the  one  hand,  to  his  anacreontic,  or  amatory  and  convivial, 
tendencies,  and  on  the  other,  to  his  outspoken  denunciation  of  the 
hypocrisy  which  characterized  some  of  the  Muslim  priests  in.  his  day. 

But  gifts  like  those  of  Hafi?  stood  in  no  danger  of  being  overlooked. 
His  poetic  fame  in  due  time  called  forth  flattering  invitations  from  dig- 
nitaries abroad,  one  of  them  being  royal  solicitation  from  Mahmud 
Shah  II,  of  the  Bahmanid  dynasty  in  India,  to  make  a  sojourn  at 
his  court.  So  high  a  compliment  could  not  be  declined,  and  IJafi? 
set  out  for  Hindustan.  A  part  of  the  journey,  however,  involved  a 
voyage  by  sea,  and  at  the  outset  occurred  so  violent  a  storm  that  the 
poet  turned  back,  abandoned  his  planned  visit,  and  returned  to  his 
home  in  Shiraz,  which  he  never  afterwards  left.  It  should  be  added, 
however,  that  in  graceful  recognition  of  the  favor  of  his  would-be 
patron,  he  wrote  an  ode  apologizing  for  not  having  finally  been  able  to 
accept  the  distinguished  call. 

127 


128 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


IJafi?  was  married  and  there  is  a  mention  of  sons  in  his  verse.  He 
appears  to  have  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  and  his  de^th  occurred  about  the 
year  1389  a.d.,  although  that  date  is  not  wholly  certain.  His  tomb 
lies  in  a  beautiful  garden  in  the  environs  of  his  beloved  city  of 
Shiraz,  with  whose  charms  his  odes  are  so  closely  linked. 

Love  and  wine,  and  the  nightingale  and  the  rose,  form  the  burden 
of  his  lyric  songs;  but  there  is  considerable  difference  of  opinion, 
especially  in  the  Occident,  regarding  the  manner  in  which  these  tender, 
passionate  ejffusions  are  to  be  interpreted.  Hafiz  is  often  called  'the 
Persian  Anacreon,'  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  there  is  much  that 
is  anacreontic  in  his  verses ;  at  the  same  time  considerable  weight  must 
justly  be  given  to  the  common  Oriental  interpretation  of  them,  by  the 
mystic  Sufis,  as  symbolic  or  allegorical  expressions  of  Divine  Love 
under  the  guise  of  human  passion.  The  view,  therefore,  that  is 
probably  nearest  the  truth  is  that  which  holds  the  mean  between  the 
extremes  in  interpreting  the  odes  of  this  profoundly  human  and 
ideally  poetic  master  of  lyric  song. 

Translations  of  Hafiz  have  been  made  into  many  languages  and  he  has 
influenced  the  poets  of  many  lands  (compare  the  bibliography  in  Ethe, 
Neupersische  Litteratur,  p.  303-305).  Mos^  valuable  and  complete  in  its 
scope  is  the  English  version,  with  commentary,  by  H.  Wilberforce  Clarke, 
The  Diwdn-i  Hafiz,  London,  1891 ;  consult  also  Bicknell,  Hafiz,  London, 
1875 ;  Robinson,  Persian  Poetry  for  English  Readers,  p.  384-507,  London, 
1883;  McCarthy,  Ghazals  of  Hafiz,  New  York,  1893;  Bell,  Poems  from  the 
Divan  of  Hafiz,  London,  1897 ;  Leaf,  Versions  from  Hafiz,  London,  1898 ;  and 
especially  Payne,  Hafiz,  1901 ;  see  furthermore,  Pizzi,  Storia  delta  poesia 
persiana,  i.  302-347,  Turin,  1894;  Horn,  Geschichte  der  persischen  Litteratur, 
p.  1 14-122,  Leipzig,  1901 ;  F.  Veit,  Platens  Nachbildungen  aus  dem  Diwan  des 
Hafiz,  Berlin,  1908. 


HAPI? 


129 


16 

Hafiz:  Diwan,  or  complete  poetical  works  of  Hafiz,  the  great 
lyric  poet  of  Persia.  An  interesting  small  manuscript 
belonging  approximately  to  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  or 
the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  It  is  rich  in  mini- 
atures, seventy-five  in  number,  painted  in  one  of  the  typical 
styles  of  Persian  art.  The  white-bearded  man  that  figures 
in  almost  all  the  illustrations  appears  to  represent  Hafiz  in 
his  older  years. 

Size.  —  7i  X  4}  in.  (=  18.0  X  10.7  cm.)  ;  written  surface,  5}  X 
2I  in.  (=  13.9  X  7.4  cm.).  Folios  365,  numbered  in  Persian 
figures.  To  this  count  should  be  added  the  seven  folios  of 
the  Preface,  which  are  not  numbered,  though  apparently 
copied  by  the  same  hand. 

Binding.  —  Rebound  in  a  very  dark  brown  Oriental  leather, 
with  stitched  woven  bands  in  Shirazi  style,  and  with  tissues 
bound  in  opposite  the  illustrations.  The  inner  covers  are 
overspread  with  a  plain  dull  crimson  leather. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Good,  clear  Nasta^liq,  1 1  fines  to  a  page, 
in  two  columns  separated  by  an  ornamental  tendril  band 
and  framed  in  rulings  of  gold,  green,  red,  and  blue,  with 
a  marginal  line  of  gold  and  black  beyond ;  a  powdering  of 
gold-dust  heightens  the  written  surface.  The  name  of 
Hafiz  in  the  various  poems  is  always  written  in  red  ink.  The 
paper  is  of  a  very  fine  light  quahty ;  the  fly-leaves  are  of  a 
slightly  heavier  texture. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  No  date  or  name  of  copyist  is  given,  as  there 
is  no  colophon,  but  the  manuscript  appears  to  belong  to 
the  late  eighteenth  or  early  nineteenth  century  (more  prob- 
ably the  latter),  and  it  may  have  been  copied  at  Shiraz, 
if  an  inference  may  be  drawn  from  the  general  style. 


I30 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


Memorandums,  —  On  the  three  introductory  fly-leaves  are  verses 
in  Persian,  by  a  later  hand,  on  Tamerlane  (1333-1405),  on 
Fatih,  and  onHafiz's  patron,  Shah  Shuja'  of  Shiraz  (d.  1384). 
On  the  first  page  (and  obliterated  on  next  to  the  last  fly- 
leaf) is  stamped  in  carmine  ink  the  seal  of  an  owner,  whose 
name  was  Shafi^  On  the  top  of  the  last  page  is  a  Persian 
memorandum  that  the  manuscript  contains  '  seventy-five 
(75)  miniature  paintings.'    This  number  is  correct. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  Dtwdn,  or  Collected  Lyric 
Poems,  of  Hafiz,  introduced  by  the  Preface  of  Gulandam 
(cf.  Rieu,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss.  Brit.  Mus.,  p.  627-628),  and  ar- 
ranged as  follows:  (i)  Gulandam's  Preface  to  Hafiz's 
works,  fol.  ib-viib.  —  I.  Ghazals,  or  Odes,  five  hundred 
and  ninety-seven  in  number,  fol.  15-31 65;  among  these 
are  poems  in  praise  of  several  rulers  or  notables  in  the  time 
of  Hafiz,  for  example  of  Shah  Mansur  Muzaffar  (d.  1392), 
fol.  ii6a-ii66 ;  of  Hafiz's  own  patron  Shah  Shuja'  (d.  1384), 
on  fol.  186^-187^ ;  of  Yahya  ibn  Muzaffar  (1353-1430  a.d.), 
ruler  of  Shiraz,  fol.  196^-1976 ;  of  Mansur  ibn  Muhammad 
of  Shiraz,  fol.  2iO(Z-2ii&;  of  Khwajah  Turan  Shah  (d. 
1385),  who  was  vizir  to  the  patron  of  Hafiz,  fol.  2336-2346 ; 
again  of  Shah  Shuja^,  fol.  249&-2515;  of  Nusrat  ad-Din 
Yahya,  of  Shiraz,  fol.  265^-266^;  and  of  the  same,  fol. 
2706-2716;  of  Muhammad  ibn  ^Ali,  fol.  2986-300^;  again 
of  the  above-mentioned  Khwajah  Turan  Shah,  fol.  305a- 
3056;  and  lastly  of  Khwajah  Qiwam  ad-Din,  fol.  345a  and 
350a.  —  II.  Three  Masnawls,  or  Poems  in  Rimed  Couplets, 
beginning  Ala  ai  dhu-i,  fol.  3166-3246.  —  III.  Mughannl- 
ndmah,  or  Singer's  Book,  beginning  Biyd  Sdql,  fol.  325^^- 
3316.  —  IV.  Tarji'-band,  or  Refrains,  beginning  Ai  dddah 
ba-bdd,  fol.  3316-3346.  —  V.  Qasidahs,  or  Panegyrics,  begin- 
ning MdM  chu  tu,  fol.  3346-33 7a.  —  VI.  Mukhammas,  or 
Quintuple  Rimes,  fol.  337a-3386.  —  VII.  Muqatta'dt,  or 


HATIZ 


Miscellaneous  Fragments,  fol.  3386-351^. — VIII.  Rubd'iydt, 
or  Quatrains,  one  hundred  and  twelve  in  number,  arranged 
in  nearly  alphabetical  order,  fol.  35ia-365&. 
Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  Preface  is  introduced  by 
a  less  ornate  title-piece;  the  Dlwdn  itself  opens  with  two 
highly  embellished  full-page  'unwans,  gold  and  green  pre- 
dominating in  the  decoration.  Throughout  the  work  there 
are  flowered  bands  and  countless  small  floral  panels  marking 
the  end  of  each  ode,  quatrain,  or  series  of  verses.  The 
seventy-five  miniatures  which  illustrate  the  various  sub- 
jects of  the  poems  are  nearly  full-page  in  size,  and  are  the 
work  of  a  single  artist  in  a  strongly  marked  Persian  style. 
The  white-bearded  man  who  appears  throughout  in  the 
illustrations,  as  noted  above,  may  be  assumed  to  represent 
a  conception  of  Hafiz  in  his  older  years.  To  be  observed 
also  is  the  frequent  occurrence  of  the  slender  dark  cypress 
tree  and  of  the  rose  bush  and  the  nightingale  in  pictures 
illustrative  of  the  lyric  verses.  The  main  details  as  to  the 
illuminations  and  paintings  are  as  follows :  — 

i  {a)  fol.  ih.  Simple  illuminated  title  to  the  Preface  to  5afi? 

by  Gulandam. 

I  {h-c)  fol.  ib-2a.  Double  illuminated  title-page  and  introduction 
to  theGhazals,  or  Odes ;  in  these  two  embellishments, 
gold  and  green  combine  as  predominant  colors. 

1  fol.  4a.  Ascent  of  Muhammad  to  heaven  in  a  vision. 

2  fol.  sa,  'Look  into  the  Cup  of  Jamshid  and  the  Mirror 

of  Alexander  in  order  to  have  an  insight  into  the 
Kingdom  of  Darius '  —  so  says  5afiz  to  his  friend. 

3  fol.  6a.  '  Why  turn  to  Mecca  when  our  venerable  sage 

turns  to  the  wine-house  ? ' 

4  fol.  Sb.  God's  providence  saves  after  tribulations,  as 

shown  in  the  lives  of  the  Patriarchs  of  old. 

5  fol.  12b.         If  IJafiz  has  his  friend  he  cares  not,  though  he 

be  crucified  like  Man§ur. 

6  fol.  136.         It  is  the  hour  of  pleasure,  the  beloved  friend  joins 


132 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


in  the  wine-drinking,  and  the  musicians  are  play- 
ing. 

7  fol.  156.      IJafi?  meets  his  sweetheart,  who  is  on  horseback. 

8  fol.  17&.       Sultan  Mahmud  and  his  favorite  Ayaz;  also 

Laila  and  Majnun.  (All  four  are  mentioned  in  the 
Ode.) 

9  fol.  20a.      Pafiz's  sweetheart  departs  with  her  handmaidens. 

10  fol.  21a.      5afi?  grieving  for  his  absent  sweetheart. 

11  fol.  24&.      !Hafi?'s  loss  of  his  beloved  is  likened  to  the  loss  of 

Solomon's  seal. 

12  fol.  26a.      5afiz,  a  student  of  love,  is  no  more  to  be  blamed 

than  the  Shaikh  of  San^an  who  pawned  his  cloak 
in  the  wine-shop  but  still  praised  God. 

13  fol.  276.      5afi?  likens  the  shadow  of  his  cypress-like  sweet- 

heart to  the  reflection  of  the  Divine  Spirit.  , 

14  fol.  296.      The  happy  night  of  imion  with  the  beloved. 

15  fol.  31&.      IJafi?  says:  'The  time  of  Majnun  the  lover  has 

passed ;  it  is  now  our  turn.' 

16  fol.  386.       'Shirin  is  the  only  subject  of  Farhad's  talk,  and 

Laila's  curl  is  the  abode  of  Majnun.'  (These  four 
lovers  are  portrayed  in  the  picture.) 

17  fol.  4ifl.      The  beloved  of  Hafiz  kneels  by  his  pillow  at  night. 

18  fol.  45{i.      'Do  not  rely  on  the  wind;  even  though  now  it 

blows  the  way  you  wish  —  soaring  like  Solomon  on 
his  throne  by  the  aid  of  the  dlvs  (demons)  —  it  may 
later  lead  to  destruction.' 

19  fol.  47a.      Hafiz  apostrophizing  the  deserted  throne  of 

Jamshid. 

20  fol.  53(Z.      yafiz's  advice  —  'Beware!    the  beloved,  while 

attentive  to  thee,  may  smile  behind  the  veil  at 
another.' 

21  fol.  57^.      5afi?'s  sweetheart  forsakes  him. 

22  fol.  616.       'Miss  not  your  opportunity  for  joy:  for  no  one 

will  open  the  door  for  you  if  you  lose  your  key.' 

23  fol.  62,h.       Hafi?  fears  that  his  excessive  love  may  make  others 

jealous  of  him,  as  Joseph's  beautiful  coat  aroused  the 
envy  of  his  brethren. 

24  fol.  65^.      Love  may  be  fatal.  —  Farhad,  the  sculptor-lover 

of  Shirin,  was  beguiled  to  leap  to  death  from  the  crag 


BAEIZ 


when  the  old  woman  at  the  King's  behest  told  him 
the  false  story  of  Shirm's  death. 

25  fol.  67a.      Hafiz  and  Fakhr  ad-Din  'Abd  a§-Samad. —  'Trust 

Fate,  and  fear  not  the  deceits  of  the  beloved.' 

26  fol.   72^.      Hafiz  prefers  wine  to  fasting  as  a  means  for  cleans- 

ing the  heart  from  sorrow. 

27  fol.   766.      Fortune  may  come,  just  as  Joseph,  in  spite  of 

his  brethren,  attained  to  the  pinnacle  of  success. 

28  fol.   796.      Why  be  blamed,  when  Jamshid  and  Kai  Khusrau 

drank  wine  ? 

29  fol.  85^.      Why  be  downcast  ? — '  The  hoopdo,  like  the  zephyr, 

may  bring  good  tidings.'  (The  hoopoo  bird  was  the 
messenger  of  love  between  Solomon  and  the  Queen  of 
Sheba.  To  be  noted  in  the  picture  are  the  divs,  or 
demons,  as  Solomon's  servants.) 

30  fol.   SSb.      My  beloved  is  for  me  alone.  — '  I  would  not  touch 

King  Solomon's  seal  if  Abraham's  hand  had  touched 
it.'  (Again  to  be  noted  in  the  miniature  are  the  divs 
as  servants  of  Solomon,  who  is  crowned  with  a  nimbus.) 

31  fol.  g2b.      Hafi?  realizes  his  hope. 

32  fol.   93&.      Love's  mischances.  —  'Lightning  flashed  from 

Laila's  tent  and  struck  Majnun's  threshing-floor.' 

33  fol.  gya.      5afi?,  like  Iskandar  (Alexander  the  Great),  employs 

a  mirror  to  find  his  beloved. 

34  fol.  99<2.      'All  that  you  hold  in  your  hand  is  air.' 

35  fol.  looa.      Laila's  burdened  camel  passing  Majnun's  way.- 

36  fol.  lo^a.      There  may  be  risk  in  twos  —  two  high  domes, 

two  Turks,  two  sailors,  two  mystics  in  a  wine-house, 
two  highwaymen,  two  lion-hunters,  two  seafarers, 
and  two  mischief-makers  after  IJafiz's  heart. 

37  fol.  io6b,      "Tis  said  the  burden  of  the  song  injamshid's 

company  was  this:  "Bring  wine,  for  Jamshid  will 
not  live  for  ever."  ' 

38  fol.  111a.      5afi?  complains  of  his  beloved's  inconstancy. 

39  fol.  ii6b.      Praise  of  Shah  Man§ur  Mu?affar  (d.  1392)  for 

his  victory  over  thousands. 

40  fol.  iiSa.      ^afiz  likens  his  beloved  to  his  contemporary,  the 

beneficent  Shaikh  Abu  Isliaq  of  Shiraz  (d.  1357), 
'under  whose  feet  the  earth  became  a  garden,' 


134 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


and  to  Mahmud,  *  the  flash  of  whose  eye  burned  up 
his  enemies.' 

41  fol.  122a.       'Few  love  stories  stir  us;   they  are  those  of 

Farhad  and  Shirm.* 

42  fol.  128b.      IJafi?  proposes  to  drink  to  the  memory  of 

Solomon's  vizir  Asaf. 

43  fol.  132a.      'O  Lord,  put  into  the  heart  of  Elhusrau  and 

Shirln  to  be  considerate  of  Farhad.' 

44  fol.  142a.      'Not  every  polished  face  can  catch  the  heart; 

not  every  mirror-maker  knew  Alexander's  art.' 

45  fol.  147&.      gafi?  gives  to  the  east  wind  a  message  for  kings 

about  the  charms  of  his  beloved. 

46  fol.  149&.      On  the  transitoriness  of  love;  it  is  passing. — 

'You  may  have  the  beautiful  and  brilliant  turquoise 
seal  of  Abu  Ishaq  (d.  1357),  but  his  sway  was 
short.' 

47  fol.  159&.      'Set  not  your  heart  upon  the  world;  ask  the 

intoxicated  about  the  virtue  of  the  Cup  and  also 
about  Jamshid,  the  pleasure-seeker.' 

48  fol.  162a.       'Despair  not;  for  Joseph,  though  lost,  will  return 

again  to  Canaan,  and  his  prison-cell  will  become  a 
garden  of  roses.' 

49  fol.  i6Sa.      Sultan  Malimud  loved  his  favorite  Ayaz  simply 

for  his  beauty. 

50  fol.  173a.      'If  you  aspire  to  sit  as  co-assessor  of  Khicir  (who 

enjoyed  eternal  life  at  the  Fountain  of  Youth)  you 
must  retire  into  concealment  (as  he  did)  from 
Alexander's  eye.' 

51  fol.  179a.      'Throw  Bahram's  lasso  around  Jamshid's  cup, 

for  in  this  Wilderness  (of  life)  I  see  neither  Bahram 
nor  his  wild  ass.' 

52  fol.  183a.      'The  turbaned  Censor  breaks  the  jar  of  wine.' 

53  fol.  1866.       Shah  Shuja'  (1357-1384),  the  patron  of  ^afiz. 

54  fol.  196a.      Yahya  ibn  Muzaffar  (1353-1430),  ruler  of  Shiraz. 

55  fol.  199&.      Hafi?  in  praise  of  Asaf,  the  vizir  of  Solomon. 

56  fol.  207&.      Hafi?  praises  Kai  Qubad  and  Jamshid. 

57  fol.  210&.       Man§ur  ibn  Muhammad  of  Shiraz. 

58  fol.  224a.      Hafi?  praises  the  patience  of  Joseph. 

59  fol.  22gb,      IJafi?  mentions  Mafemud  and  his  favorite  Ayaz. 


HAFIZ 


60 

fol. 

233^- 

01 

101. 

242^. 

62 

fol. 

245a. 

63 

fol. 

250a. 

64 

fol. 

260&. 

6s 

fol. 

2636. 

00 

lOl. 

67 

fol. 

270&. 

68 

fol. 

2726. 

69 

fol. 

277&. 

70 

fol. 

287a. 

71 

101. 

294^* 

72 

101. 

290c?. 

73 

fol. 

305^- 

74 

lOi. 

3066. 

75 

fol. 

311^- 

Khwajah  Turan  Shah  (d.  1385),  subject  of  5tafi?'s 
panegyric. 

Pashang's  son,  Afrasiab,  a  Turanian  hero  in  the 
Shah-namah. 

Farhad's  death  mentioned  by  5afi?. 
Shah  Shuja'  (d.  1384). 

'Give  me  Jamshid's  Cup  and  not  the  treasure 
of  QarQn.'  (Qarun  of  the  Qur'an,  answering  to 
Qorah  of  the  Old  Testament,  represented  the  classic 
idea  of  Croesus  and  his  wealth.) 

Joseph  mentioned  with  praise. 

Nu§rat  ad-Din  Yahya,  ruler  of  Shiraz. 

Nu§rat  ad-Din  Shah  Yahya,  above  mentioned. 

*To  be  king  you  must  have  the  genius  of  Jamshid 
and  of  Faridun ;  to  be  a  lover  like  Majnun  you  must 
follow  the  dangerous  path  of  Laila.' 

'Many  would  be  like  Majnun  of  the  Tribe  of  Amir, 
if  a  Laila  would  come  out  of  the  Tribe  of  KEai.' 

The  bountiful  EEatim  Tai. 

'Whoever  exchanged  the  treasure  of  economy  for 
the  treasure  of  the  world,  sold  Joseph  of  Egypt 
cheap ! ' 

Muhammad  ibn  'Ali. 

Tiiran  Shah,  mentioned  above. 

'Through  this  palace  have  passed  a  hundred 
thousand  like  Ka'tis,  Caesar,  Jamshid,  and  (other) 
kings.' 

'As  Majnun  followed  the  heart-ravishing  Laila, 
so  my  heart  should  follow  its  sweetheart.' 


1 


VII 


JAMi 


(1414-I492  A.D.) 

Jami,  the  last  classic  poet  of  Persia,  is  renowned  for  his  historic, 
romantic,  and  mystic  compositions.  He  took  his  name  from  his 
birthplace,  the  small  town  of  Jam,  near  Herat,  in  what  is  now  called 
Afghanistan ;  yet  he  himself  plays  upon  his  name  as  emblematic  of  the 
'cup,'  jam,  from  which,  with  the  mystic  Sufis,  he  quaffed  the  divine 
love  of  God.    See  above,  under  Rumi,  p.  93. 

Jaml's  seven  longer  poems  are  often  collected  together  under  the 
title  Haft  Aurang,  or  'Seven  Thrones,'  after  the  name  of  the  constella- 
tion of  the  Great  Bear.  A  list  of  these  poems  is  given  below,  in  con- 
nection with  the  manuscripts.  One  among  the  number,  and  the  best 
known,  the  Yusuf  u  Zulaikhdj  written  in  1483  a.d.,  was  probably 
inspired  in  title  and  subject  by  Firdausi's  poem  on  the  love  of  Poti- 
phar's  wife  for  Joseph;  two  others,  namely  the  Laild  u  Majnun 
and  the  Khirad-ndmah-i  Iskandari  go  back  to  Ni^aml's  romantic 
poems  by  the  same  name,  telling  of  Majnun's  tragic  love  and  of 
Alexander's  fame  for  wisdom.  Jami's  short  lyric  poems,  which  were 
composed  approximately  between  1460  and  1491,  are  later  grouped  in 
the  manuscripts  into  three  diwdns.  His  prose  work,  Bahdristdn,  or 
'Abode  of  Spring,'  containing  short  stories  with  apt  illustrations  of 
Eastern  thought  and  wisdom,  was  composed  about  1487. 

Jam!  traveled  considerably  during  a  part  of  his  lifetime,  making 
the  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  and  visiting  Aleppo,  Damascus,  and 
other  well-known  cities,  where  he  was  received  with  the  honor  due  to 
his  literary  attainments  and  with  the  recognition  appropriate  to  his 
renown  for  mystic  devotion.    He  died  at  Herat  in  1492. 

For  details  and  references  consult,  among  other  books,  Ethe,  Neupersische 
Litteratur,  in  Grundriss,  2.  305-307 ;  S.  Robinson,  Persian  Poetry,  p.  510- 
642,  London,  1883  ;  F.  H.  Davis,  The  Persian  Mystics:  II,  J  ami,  London, 
1908;  Jackson,  art.  'Jami,' in  C.  D.  Warner,  World^s  Best  Literature,  14. 
81 10-81 16,  New  York,  1897. 

139 


149 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


17 

Jami:  Diwan,  an  early  collection  of  the  lyric  and  mystic 
poems  of  Jami.  This  very  valuable  manuscript  was  writ- 
ten in  the  poet^s  own  lifetime,  as  it  can  be  assigned  to  the 
third  quarter  of  the  fifteenth  century  (see  below),  and  it 
represents  a  compilation  made  prior  to  the  time  at  which 
he  grouped  all  of  his  lyric  compositions  into  three  dlwdns. 
The  copy  is  in  the  handwriting  of  the  celebrated  callig- 
raphist  ^Abd  al-Karim  of  Khwarazm,  whose  brother  tran- 
scribed, in  1463  A.D.,  another  precious  manuscript  of  Jamf  s 
Diwan,  which  is  most  closely  allied  to  this  copy,  and  which 
is  now  in  the  British  Museum  (see  below).  Besides  being 
richly  illuminated,  the  present  manuscript  is  adorned  by 
sixteen  beautiful  miniatures,  which  show  strongly  the  in- 
fluence of  Mongol  art. 

Size.  —  loX  6  in.  (25.5X  15.2  cm.) ;  written  space,  6f  X  3  J  in. 
(16.2  X  8.0  cm.).    Folios  328 ;  the  last  page  is  blank. 

Binding.  —  Maroon  Oriental  leather,  apparently  camel's  hide, 
deeply  pressed  with  a  medalHon  figure,  pendants,  and  a  panel 
border,  gilded  and  with  a  tendril  pattern  in  relief.  The 
inside  covers  show  a  lighter  brown  leather,  bhnd-pressed, 
and  with  elongated  gold  medalHon,  pendants,  and  corner 
angles,  cut  out  and  embelHshed  by  filigree  work  upon  a  blue 
background.  The  whole  of  the  field  is  framed  by  a  double 
gilt  cording.  The  covers  are  the  original  ones,  but  have 
been  slightly  repaired. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Written  in  a  very  beautiful  Nasta'liq,  15 
lines  to  a  page  in  two  columns,  lightly  outlined  by  gold  ruKng. 
The  couplets  in  which  Jami's  name  occurs  in  the  poems  are 
blocked  off  between  horizontal  ruled  fines.  The  paper  is 
of  a  heavy  quafity  and  of  a  creamish  hue  with  a  slight  sheen. 


JAMI 


141 


Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  date  of  the  manuscript  is  not  given,  but 
can  be  determined,  from  the  time  of  the  scribe  and  from 
internal  and  external  evidence,  as  being  between  1463  and 
1479  A.D.,  former  date  being  probably  nearer  the  actual 
one.  The  determining  factors  as  to  the  date  are  the  fol- 
lowing :  — 

The  scribe  gives  his  name  in  the  colophon,  on  fol.  328a, 
as  *Abd  al-Karim  of  Khwarazm.  This  copyist,  as  we  know 
through  other  sources,  was  one  of  the  two  noted  sons  of  the 
famous  calligraphist  *Abd  ar-Rahman  of  Khwarazm,  who 
flourished  in  Jami's  own  lifetime  and  enjoyed  the  patronage 
of  Sultan  Ya^qub,  ruler  of  the  White  Sheep  Turkomans. 
The  father  and  his  two  sons  are  accredited  with  having  trans- 
formed, between  the  years  1456  and  1476,  the  style  of  Nasta'- 
liq  writing  (see  Huart,  Les  Calligraphes  et  les  miniaturistes^ 
p.  257-258).  As  already  stated,  the  other  son  was  named 
*Abd  ar-Rahim,  and  he  was  the  copyist  who  transcribed,  in 
the  year  1463  a.d.,  the  similar  early  Diwan  of  JamI,  which 
is  now  in  the  British  Museum  (see  Rieu;  Supplement,  p. 
188,  no.  288).  The  two  copies  by  these  celebrated  brothers 
are  closely  related,  although  there  are  some  differences  be- 
tween them.  The  British  Museum  manuscript  has  no 
preface,  but  the  copy  in  the  present  collection  has  a  preface 
(fol.  1&-56),  the  close  of  which  corresponds  to  what  forms  an 
epilogue  at  the  end  of  the  Museum  copy,  fol.  168  (see  Rieu, 
Supplement,  p.  189,  for  details  regarding  the  latter).  In  a 
personal  quatrain  in  the  present  preface  (fol.  56),  moreover, 
Jam!  speaks  of  himself  as  being  then  in  his  fiftieth  year,  i.e, 
1463  A.D. ;  exactly  the  same  date  is  found  in  the  epilogue  (fol. 
168)  of  the  British  Museum  copy,  the  date  of  which  is  given 
as  1463.  This  year  (1463)  therefore  forms  the  lower  limit 
in  determining  the  date  of  the  manuscript.  The  upper 
limit  is  furnished  either  by  the  year  1476,  when  the  trans- 


142 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


formation  in  the  style  of  writing  instituted  by  the  father 
and  his  two  sons  was  regarded  as  complete,  as  noted  above ; 
or  it  is  given  by  1479,  the  time  when  Jami  began  to  revise  or 
rearrange  his  poems  into  a  form  that  ultimately  became 
fixed  as  Three  Dvwdns  (cf.  Ethe,  Neupersische  Litteraturj 
p.  306).  The  present  copy,  like  the  British  Museum  copy, 
antedates  that  event,  and  they  resemble  each  other  in  agree- 
ing largely  in  contents  with  what  was  later  called  the  First 
Diwdn.  It  is  not  impossible  that  the  two  brothers  Karim 
and  Rahim  were  engaged  in  making  their  respective  tran- 
scripts almost  at  the  same  time. 

Memorandums,  —  On  the  back  of  the  binding,  in  a  later  Persian 
•  hand,  is  given  the  title  with  a  note  on  the  caUigraphy,  as 
'  The  Diwdn  of  Jami,  in  beautiful  handwriting.'  On  the  first 
fly-leaf,  which  has  been  pasted  together  with  the  first  folio, 
is  a  similar  note,  '  The  Diwdn  of  Jam!,'  jotted  by  the  same 
hand.  To  the  right  of  this  memorandum,  in  a  different 
hand,  there  is  a  note  erroneously  calling  the  work  by  the 
name  Silsilat  adh-Dhahah,  ^  Chain  of  Gold,'  as  that  is  the 
title  generally  given  to  the  first  book  of  Jami's  Haft  Aurang. 
There  are  two  small  oval  seals  on  this  page,  but  they  have 
been  obliterated  and  are  illegible.  On  the  last  fly-leaf  is 
a  pencil  note  in  English  regarding  the  author  and  possible 
date,  as  follows :  '  Jami,  Diwan,  1480-1500,'  and  a  note  as 
to  the  number  of  miniatures. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  An  early  Diwan,  or  collection  of 
Jami's  lyric  and  mystic  poems,  made  prior  to  the  time  when 
they  were  grouped  as  three  separate  diwans.  As  already 
remarked,  this  copy  agrees  largely  in  contents  with  what 
was  later  called  the  First  Diwdn  (cf.  Sachau  and  Ethe,  Cat. 
Pers.  Mss.  Bodl.  Lib.,  col.  612-614;  also  Muqtadir,  Cat. 
Arab.  Pers.  Mss.,  2.  40-42  ;  and  especially  Rieu,  Supplement, 
p.  187-189,  nos.  287,  288). 


JAMI 


The  arrangement,  which  is  almost  identical  with  that  of 
the  British  Museum  copy  (Rieu,  Sup.^  no.  288),  runs  as  fol- 
lows :  I.  {a)  A  short  personal  Preface  beginning  in  prose  with 
(5^^^(Jr^y>  ^))y^  (the  same  as  in  Rieu,  p.  187,  no.  287), 
then  adding  some  verses  in  Masnawi  form  eulogizing  the 
reigning  sultan,  Abu  Sa'id,  furthermore  continued  by  five 
lines  of  prose,  and  concluded  by  two  quatrains  (fol.  56),  in 
the  first  of  which  Jami  states  that  he  was  then  in  the  fiftieth 
(lunar)  year  of  his  age  {i.e.  1463  a.d.,  see  above).  —  {h) 
A  group  of  five  Qasidahs  in  praise  of  God,  followed  by  five 
Tarji'dt  in  praise  of  Muhammad,  and  by  a  succession  of 
Tarkib-bands  and  Qasidahs  (fol.  5^-3 9a) ;  this  whole  latter 
group  corresponds  to  what  is  generally  called  the  second 
part  (b)  of  the  First  Diwdn.  —  II.  Ghazals,  or  odes,  in 
alphabetical  order  (fol.  39&-291&).  —  III.  Tarji'dt,  or 
poems  with  a  refrain  (fol.  2916-300^) ;  the  same  as  in  Rieu, 
Supplement,  no.  288.  —  IV.  Two  Marsiyyahs  in  Tarkib- 
band  form,  one  being  an  elegy  on  Maulana  Sa'd  ad-Din  of 
Kashghar  (d.  1455  a.d.),  the  other  an  elegy  on  Jamfs  own 
brother  (fol.  3006-3046).  —  V.  Muqatta'dt,  fragmentary 
poems  (fol.  3046-3096).  —  VI.  Rubd'iydt,  or  quatrains  (fol. 
3096-320(1).  —  VIII.  Mu^ammaydt,  or  enigmas,  longer  and 
shorter ;  the  first  of  these  (fol.  320a)  is  a  riddle  on  the  name 
of  Shah  Babar  (d.  1457),^  beginning  W  as  in  an- 

other copy  of  the  Diwan  described  by  Rieu,  Sup.,  no.  288 ; 
the  second  enigma,  also  in  four  lines,  on  Hasan  (fol.  3206) ; 
then  seven  other  enigmas,  each  in  two  lines  (fol.  3216), 
followed  by  a  series  of  single-line  {fard)  riddles,  the  name 

^  This  Babar  is  the  one  called  Babar  Sultan ;  he  was  the  great-grandson 
of  Timur  Lang,  and  after  the  death  of  *Abd  al-Latif  he  established  himself 
as  ruler  of  Khurasan  in  1452,  and  died  at  Mashhad,  on  March  27,  1457; 
cf.  Beale,  Oriental  Biog.  Did.,  p.  92.  He  is  to  be  distinguished  from  the 
later  Babar  who  founded  the  Mughal  Dynasty. 


144 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


of  the  person  being  given  above  each  in  a  beautiful  illu- 
minated brooch  (fol.  3  2 16-3  28a). 
Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  Two  richly  ornate  full  pages, 
in  blue  and  gold,  form  the  opening  of  the  Preface;  and 
there  are  throughout  the  manuscript,  especially  towards 
the  end,  highly  decorated  head-bands  and  caption-brooches. 
The  miniatures,  sixteen  in  all,  many  of  them  full-page, 
are  fine  specimens  of  art,  strongly  under  the  influence  of 
the  Mongol  style ;  they  appear  to  be  the  work  of  a  single 
brush.  The  first  two  miniatures,  occupying  a  double  page 
before  the  two  illuminated  frontispieces,  portray  scenes 
of  the  chase ;  the  other  paintings,  likewise  often  full-page, 
represent  the  subject  of  some  particular  verse  or  theme  in 
the  poem  which  they  are  chosen  to  illustrate.  Details  are 
as  follows :  — 

1  fol.  ih.  Hunting-scene. 

2  fol.  2a.         Another  scene  from  the  chase. 

I  {a-h)  fol.  26-3^.     Exquisite  double  title-pages  in  blue  and  gold. 

3  fol.  21a.        'The  young  man  who  wishes  to  gain  knowledge 

must  dip  deep  like  the  diver  to  bring  up  the  pearl.' 
II     {c)  fol.  39&.        Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  book  of  Ghazals. 

4  fol.  866.        Convivial  scene  in  spring,  with  a  king  sitting 

upon  his  throne  in  an  orchard. 

5  fol.  99a.        A  bard  playing  on  his  guitar,  for  a  prince  and 

his  company  out  of  doors. 

6  fol.  113a.      A  feast  of  love. 

7  fol.  132a.      'The  student  of  thy  love  sets  not  his  feet  on  the 

steps  of  the  pulpit  of  the  mosque.' 

8  fol.  138&.      The  shepherd  takes  Majnun  to  the  tent  of 

Laila,  his  beloved. 

9  fol.  162a.      Illustration  of  a  verse  referring  to  Majnun  as 

devotedly  following  Laila.     The  verse  reads: 
'  When  the  camel-driver  carries  Laila  away  from 
IJai,  who  can  restrain  Majnun  from  following  her? ' 
10  fol.  i8ia.      Illustration  of  Shirin  and  her  sculptor-lover, 


JAMI 


Farhad.  The  verse  reads:  'My  breast  is  shat- 
tered by  the  axe  of  thy  love.' 

11  fol.  202a.      Spring  scene  —  'In  the  springtime,  why  give 

up  the  cup  and  social  intercourse  ? ' 

12  fol.  2186.      Scene  of  love-making  —  'My  love  for  thee  has 

torn  away  the  veil.' 

13  fol.  228a.      Polo  scene  —  the  lover  chases  his  beloved  like 

a  polo  ball. 

14  fol.  2320.      Hunting-scene  —  The  beloved  fears  that  her 

lover  has  come  out  to  hunt  her  heart  as  in  the 
chase. 

15  fol.  2636.      '  Seek  thou  for  Jamshid's  Cup  in  the  wine-glass, 

and  for  the  water  of  life  in  the  grape  lees.' 

16  fol.  2846.      Jam!  would  rather  be  the  captive-game  of  his 

beloved  than  be  a  student. 


18 

Jami :  Yusiif  and  Zulaikha.  —  A  beautiful  early  sixteenth-cen- 
tury manuscript  of  Jami's  romantic  and  mystic  poem, 
Yusuf  and  Zulaikha.  It  is  copied  in  the  exquisite  hand- 
writing of  the  famous  calligraphist  Mir  'Ali,  and  is  dated 
1 5  23-1 5  24  A.D.  The  illuminations,  especially  the  sumptu- 
ous decoration  of  the  margins,  are  particularly  fine;  and 
the  three  miniatures  are  in  the  style  of  the  contemporary 
Bahzad  school  of  painting.  In  its  general  style  and  char- 
acter, it  is  to  be  closely  associated  with  the  great  manu- 
script of  Nizami  (No.  3)  in  the  present  collection,  and  it 
was  finished  one  year  earlier  than  that  codex. 

Size.  —  io|  X  7  in.  (27.5  X  17.7  cm.) ;  written  surface,  5f  X  2f  in. 
(14.3  X  6.7  cm.) ;  the  space  covered  by  the  writing  is  small 
in  comparison  with  the  wide  margins.    Folios  139,  the  first 


146 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


and  last  pages  being  blank,  but  especially  embellished. 
A  number  of  leaves  are  misbound,  and  some  twelve  in  all 
are  missing. 

Binding.  —  Rebound  in  a  heavy  black  Oriental  leather,  with 
blind-pressed  designs  in  red,  dark  green,  and  gilt.  Both  the 
outside  covers  are  alike,  and  show  an  inner  field  of  black 
grained  leather,  set  off  by  an  inlaid  red  leather  medallion, 
pendants,  and  corner  angles,  all  these  being  stamped  with 
a  foliated  pattern.  The  smaller  panels  around  this  field 
are  of  a  dark  green  leather,  with  a  similar  pressed  design, 
and  a  Httle  gold  and  colored  vignette  at  the  top  and  the 
bottom  heightens  the  effect.  A  running  flowered  border 
of  gold  serves  to  frame  the  whole.  The  inner  covers  are 
overlaid  with  a  cloth  of  rich  red  color,  with  a  floral  pattern, 
but  of  ordinary  quality. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Written  in  an  exquisite  Nasta'liq  hand 
by  one  of  the  most  famous  Persian  calligraphists,  Mir  ^Ali 
(see  below) .  The  text  runs  14  lines  to  a  page  in  two  columns, 
separated  by  a  double  ruHng  and  framed  by  a  broad  band 
of  different  colors,  with  floral  traceries  in  gold.  The  whole 
page  is  then  inset  in  a  richly  embelhshed  wide  margin, 
each  border  being  painted  in  a  different  color  from  the  next 
(thus  giving  the  greatest  variety)  and  being  covered  with 
gold  flowered  designs.  The  paper  of  the  inset  pages  is  of 
a  heavy  quality,  but  that  of  the  borders  is  of  a  still  heavier 
weight. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  Given  in  the  colophon  (fol.  137^^)  as, '  Written 
by  Mir  'Ali  al-Husaim,  year  nine  hundred  and  thirty  [i.e. 
930  A.H.  =  1 5 23-1 5 24  A.D.].'  The  name  of  this  famous 
scribe  is  recorded  also  in  a  later  memorandum  on  the  first 
page  (fol.  la).  Mir  'Ali  was  the  most  celebrated  penman 
of  his  day,  and  some  idea  of  the  value  of  his  work  may  be 
gained  from  the  statement  of  a  European  authority,  R. 


JAMI 


147 


Murdock  Smith,  who  mentions  the  fact  of  *  a  single  line  of 
the  writing  of  Mir  selling  for  two  or  three  pounds  sterling  ' 
(see  Major  R.  M.  Smith,  Persian  Art,  p.  79,  in  Handbooks 
of  the  South  Kensington  Museum).  Mir  ^Ah  was  indirectly, 
if  not  directly,  the  pupil  of  the  renowned  calligraphist 
Mashhadi.  He  was  born  at  Herat,  but  educated  at  Mashhad, 
and  was  later  (1539)  brought,  much  against  his  will,  from 
Herat  to  the  court  of  the  Uzbeg  ruler  at  Bukhara,  where 
he  was  forced  to  employ  his  art  of  beautiful  penmanship. 
He  was  also  somewhat  of  a  poet,  and  some  verses,  in  which 
he  laments  his  lot,  have  been  preserved.  He  died  in  1558 
or  1559  A.D.,  or,  according  to  another  account,  in  1544  a.d. 
(see  Huart,  Les  Calligraphes,  p.  227-228,  and  cf.  Sachau 
and  Ethe,  Cat.  Pers.  Mss.  Bodl.  Lib.,  nos.  816,  859,  863). 

Memorandums.  —  The  only  memorandums  are  found  on  the 
first  page  (fol.  la)  and  belong  to  a  later  date.  At  the  top 
of  this  page  is  a  note  in  Persian  giving  the  title  and  author 
of  the  work  as  *  Yusuf  and  Zulaikhd  by  Jami.^  In  the 
middle  of  the  page  is  a  small  oval  modern  seal  containing 
the  name  of  the  owner,  Fadl  Allah,  and  the  date  1324  a.  h.  = 
1906  A.D.  Above  this  seal  is  jotted,  in  a  small  neat  hand, 
a  memorandum  stating  that  the  manuscript  ^  was  written 
by  the  renowned  Mir  ^Ali,  and  was  later  acquired  by  Fadl 
Allah,  of  Rai,  in  the  year  1326  a.h.  [=  1908  a.d.].'  (The 
difference  between  this  date  and  the  one  preceding  is,  of 
course,  in  such  a  case  a  matter  of  no  importance.)  Rai  is 
located  about  six  miles  southeast  of  Teheran. 

Subject.  —  As  already  stated,  the  subject  is  the  mystic  and  ro- 
mantic poem  of  Yusuf  and  Zulaikhd,  or  Joseph  and  Potiphar's 
wife,  written  by  Jami  in  1483  a.d.,  and  dedicated  to  Sultan 
Husain  Mirza,  ruler  of  Khurasan,  who  resided  at  Herat. 

Illumifiations  and  Illustrations.  —  Attention  has  been  called 
above  (under  *  Writing')  to  the  sumptuously  illuminated 


148 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


margins  and  borders,  and  to  the  variety  and  alternation  in 
the  colors  employed.  There  are  two  splendid  'unwans  to 
serve  as  a  double  frontispiece ;  and  the  head-bands,  which 
form  the  captions  to  the  different  sections,  are  inscribed  in 
rubric  letters,  set  off  by  a  tendril  design  in  gold.  The 
manuscript  is  illustrated  by  three  full-page  miniatures, 
which  belong  in  style  to  the  contemporary  Bahzad  school. 
No  artist's  name  is  given,  but  they  are  seemingly  the  work 
of  a  single  painter,  the  last  miniature  (fol.  gia)  being  the 
finest  of  the  three.    The  subjects,  are  as  follows :  — 

I  (a-b)  fol.  ib-2a.      Two  full-page  introductory  pieces,  highly  em- 
bellished. 

1  fol.  $Sb.         Joseph  arriving  in  Eg5^t  and  leaving  the  ship 

in  the  Nile. 

2  fol.  69a.        Joseph  tending  the  flocks. 

3  fol.  91a.        Zulaikha  seizing  the  skirt  of  Joseph's  robe. 


19 

Jami :  Yusuf  and  Zulaikha,  or  the  Story  of  Joseph  and  Potiphar's 
Wife.  A  fine  Persian  manuscript,  not  dated,  but  belonging 
to  a  period  not  later  than  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury (see  below),  handsomely  illuminated  and  containing 
four  full-page  miniature  paintings  after  the  best  manner  of 
the  Bahzad  school.  Among  its  various  owners  were  two 
of  the  Kings  of  Golkonda  in  Southern  India. 

Size.  —  10  X  si  in.  (25.3  X  14.6  cm.) ;  written  surface,  6f  X 
3  in.  (16.8  X  7.5  cm.).  Folios  162,  the  last  page  being 
blank ;  one  leaf  is  missing  after  fol.  53,  and  one  after  fol.  78. 


Embellished  Introductory  Page  ('Unwan) 
Ms.  No.  18,  fol.  2a  (see  page  148) 


JAMI 


149 


Binding.  —  Rebound  in  plain  dark-red  Oriental  leather,  with 
blue  sheets  tipped  in  opposite  the  illustrations.  Some  of  the 
pages  have  been  slightly  repaired. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Written  in  a  beautiful  Nasta^liq  of  a 
rather  large  size,  12  lines  to  a  page  in  two  gold-ruled  columns, 
with  orange,  blue,  and  green  outlines  on  tan-colored  paper, 
gold-sprinkled,  the  pages  being  inset. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  date  is  not  given,  but  the  manuscript 
may  properly  be  assigned  to  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  or  approximately  to  the  year  1550  a.d.,  as  may  be 
judged  not  only  from  its  general  characteristics,  but  also 
from  the  time  of  the  copyist.  This  scribe  gives  his  name  in 
the  colophon  as  Muhammad  Qiwam  of  Shiraz,  and  is  the 
same  person  as  the  Muhammad  Qiwam  of  Shiraz  who,  in 
August,  1556,  finished  copying  a  Kulliyydt  of  Jami  upon 
which  he  had  worked  for  four  years ;  he  completed  also  in 
1556  a  beautiful  transcript  of  Jami's  Yusuf  and  Zulaikhd; 
he  is  known  also  to  have  been  the  copyist  of  a  manuscript 
of  Jami's  Haft  Aurang  (see  Sachau  and  Ethe,  Catalogue  of 
Persian  Manuscripts  in  the  Bodleian  Library,  nos.  895, 
898,  905) ;  see  also  next  paragraph. 

Memorandums.  —  The  copy  contains  a  number  of  seals  together 
with  some  memorandums.  On  the  back  of  the  title-page 
(fol.  I  a)  are  half  a  dozen  signets,  the  oldest  of  which  is 
apparently  the  small  oval  seal  near  the  bottom  and  at  the 
top,  again  repeated  on  the  last  folio ;  it  is  the  signet  of 
one  Rida,  who  terms  himself  ^  the  humble  servant  of  the 
descendants  of  Muhammad.'  Near  it  is  a  Persian  memoran- 
dum which  records :  '  This  (book)  was  brought  by  the 
Dervish  Beg  on  the  7th  of  the  blessed  month  of  Ramadan  in 
the  year  Alf  (1000)  from  Dar-mahal  [District  Library?].' 
The  reckoning  of  the  year  Alf,  *  Millennium,'  was  introduced 
by  Akbar  the  Great,  and  was  counted,  not  from  the  flight 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


(Hijra)  of  Muhammad  in  622  a.d.,  but  from  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  632  a.d.  The  date  of  the  memorandum  would 
correspond  to  Sept.  25,  1582.  The  small  oblong  seal  in  the 
middle  of  the  same  page  (fol.  la)  is  the  signet,  with  date,  of 
'  Zain  al-^Abidin,  year  1190  a.h.  [=  1776  a.d.].'  Above  it  is 
a  large  round  seal  with  a  crest,  bearing  the  name  of 
Sultan  Muhammad,  one  of  the  rulers  of  the  later  Qutb 
Shah  dynasty  of  Golkonda  in  Southern  India,  together  with 
the  date  12 10  a.h.  =  1795  a.d.  A  small  seal  near  the  edge, 
but  partly  clipped  off,  is  the  same  as  one  on  the  last  folio  and 
can  be  read  as  that  of  *  Mahdi  Quli,  the  servant  of  Shah 
Hamzah.'  The  three  other  oblong  seals  on  fol.  la  are 
obhterated.  On  the  first  fly-leaf  is  the  large  seal  of  Muham- 
mad Quli,  who  was  another  of  the  Qutb  Shahs  of  Golkonda. 
A  small  square  seal  near  the  top  is  obhterated,  but  below 
it  is  written  in  Persian  in  a  bold  hand :  '  With  the  acknowl- 
edgment of  Mir  Kazim,  on  the  sixth  of  Ramadan,  in  the 
year  1122  a.h.  [=  Oct.  29,  17 10  a.d,].'  The  two  seals  on  the 
last  folio  have  already  been  described. 
Subject  and  Contents.  —  Jami's  poem  on  the  story  of  the  love  of 
Potiphar's  wife  for  Joseph,  comprising  approximately  3544 
rimed  couplets. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  manuscript  is  introduced 
by  two  beautiful  'unwans,  that  form  a  double  title-page, 
and  contain,  in  medallions,  the  opening  couplets  of  the  book 
Yusuf  and  Zulaikhd.  In  addition  to  these  there  are 
throughout  the  poem,  as  captions  to  the  different  sections, 
large  gold  bands,  lettered  in  white  and  deHcately  flowered. 
There  are  four  highly  finished  miniature  paintings,  of  the 
most  dehcate  workmanship,  the  portrait  of  Joseph  being 
recognizable  in  each  case  by  a  painted  golden  nimbus.  They 
furnish  fine  examples  of  the  art  of  the  Safavid  period. 
The  subjects  of  the  illustrations  are  as  follows :  — 


JAMI 


I    {a-h)  fol.  ib-2a.    Illuminated  double  introductory  pages. 

1  fol.  38a.     Zulaikha  with  her  handmaidens  in  the  palace, 

after  she  has  dreamed  of  Yusuf  the  second  time. 

2  fol.  73(Z.     Yusuf,  offered  for  sale,  is  purchased  by  Zulaikha 

for  double  the  price  bid. 

3  fol.  1026.    Yusuf  summoned  by  Zulaikha  to  serve  at  feast. 

The  Egyptian  ladies  who  are  present  are  so 
overcome  by  his  beauty  that  they  cut  their  fin- 
gers instead  of  cutting  the  pomegranates  they 
are  peeling. 

4  fol.  1396.   Yusuf  and  Zulaikha  united  in  wedlock  after 

Potiphar's  death. 


20 

Jami :  Haft  Aurang,  or  *  Seven  Thrones,'  named  after  the 
constellation  of  the  Great  Bear.  An  illuminated  manu- 
script of  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  con- 
taining Jaml's  seven  longer  poems  complete,  and  illustrated 
by  seventeen  miniatures. 

Size.  —  II J  X  7}  in.  (29.7  X  18.5  cm.) ;  written  surface,  7!  X4f 
in.  (20.0  X  11.8  cm.) ;  folios  257,  numbered  in  Persian  figures. 
Between  each  of  the  seven  poems  the  scribe  has  left  blank 
a  page,  or,  in  some  cases,  two  pages. 

Binding,  —  Strong  modern  Persian  binding  of  dark  brown  calf ; 
the  covers  are  blind-pressed  and  slightly  gilded ;  the  stitch- 
ing of  the  head-band  is  in  Shirazi  style. 

Writing  and  Paper,  —  Fair  and  clear  Nasta'liq,  21  lines  to  a  page, 
in  four  columns,  separated  by  gold  rulings  and  framed  in 
gold  and  blue  lines.  The  paper  is  of  ordinary  weight, 
creamish  in  hue,  and  without  sheen.    Small  gilt  paper  tabs 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


are  added  on  the  margin  of  the  pages  that  have  miniatures 
and  illuminations. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  date  is  not  given  and  the  scribe  does 
not  add  his  name ;  but  the  date  must  be  about  the  middle 
of  the  eighteenth  century  a.d.,  if  we  may  judge  from  a 
Persian  memorandum  on  the  first  page  and  on  the  last  page 
containing  the  year  1178  a.h.  =  1764  a.d.  (see  below). 

Memorandums.  —  On  the  outer  margin  near  the  top  of  the  first 
page  (fol.  I  a)  is  a  memorandum  in  Persian  by  the  owner, 
over  his  (later  effaced)  seal,  as  follows :  *  My  courteous  and 
sincere  friend  Aqa  Muhammad  Rabi'  Sahib  (may  the  peace 
of  God  be  ^pon  him!)  granted  (this  book)  to  me  in  the  month 
of  Jumada  al-Awwal  .  .  .  The  year  is  erased,  but  was 
probably  1178  a.h.  =  1764  a.d.,  as  below.  In  another  hand 
underneath  this  seal,  and  again  near  the  top  of  the  page,  is 
*  450  '  {i.e.  450  tumans,  as  value).  Practically  the  same 
memorandum  over  the  same  seal  (likewise  effaced),  but  in 
another  hand,  is  found  near  the  bottom  of  the  last  page  (fol. 
2576) ,  namely :  ^Aqa  Muhammad  Rabi'  Sahib  (may  the  peace 
of  God  be  upon  him!)  presented  (this  book)  to  me  as  an  offer- 
ing and  gift  in  the  month  of  Jumada  al-Awwal,  year  11 78 
A.H.  [=  October,  1764  a.d.],'  and  the  number  '  450 '  is  added 
by  the  tertia  manus  that  placed  those  figures  twice  on  the 
opening  page  to  denote  the  value.  The  seal  is  identical 
with  that  at  the  opening,  but,  as  stated,  it  has  been  erased ; 
a  seal  nearby  has  also  been  obliterated.  A  Persian  memoran- 
dum at  the  top  of  fol.  la  notes  that  the  book  is  '  the  seven 
(poems)  of  Jami  complete.'  In  the  decoration  on  the  upper 
left-hand  corner  of  this  first  page  is  the  number  *  257  folios,' 
referring  correctly  to  the  number  of  leaves  contained  in 
the  manuscript.  On  fol.  66a,  which  is  blank,  there  is  a  large 
octagonal  seal,  apparently  of  a  person  of  high  rank,  but  it 
is  defaced  and  can  be  only  partially  deciphered  as  the 


JAMI 


signet  of  ^Muhammad  Farrukh  Mir  .  .  .  Zain  al-*Abidm.  .  . 
On  a  fly-leaf  tipped  in  near  the  beginning  of  the  book  is 
a  Persian  memorandum  giving  the  names  of  the  seven  books 
of  Jami  contained  in  the  manuscript.  All  the  other  memo- 
randums on  the  fly-leaves  are  in  English,  fly-leaf  4  giving 
a  table  of  contents  and  a  list  of  the  illustrations,  and  fly- 
leaf 7  giving  a  similar  enumeration  of  the  seven  poems  con- 
tained in  the  copy,  together  with  a  memorandum  as  to  the 
Persian  jotting  translated  above.  The  same  English  hand 
has  noted  on  the  margins  opposite  the  miniatures  the 
subjects  they  illustrate. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  The  Haft  Aurang,  or  Seven  Thrones, 
of  Jami,  arranged  as  follows :  I.  Silsilat  adh-Dhahahj 
fol.  ih-$oa.  —  II.  Saldmdn  u  Absdl,  fol.  51&-65&. — 
III.  Tuhfat  aUAhrdr,  fol.  666-88&.  —  IV.  Suhhat  al-Ahrdr, 
fol.  896-126&. — V.  Yusuf  u  Zulaikhdj  fol.  127&-177&. 
—  VI.  Laild  u  Majnun,  fol.  1 786-2 26a. — VII.  Khirad- 
ndmah-i  Iskandari,  fol.  2276-2576. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  There  are  seven  illuminated 
'unwans  as  title-pieces  to  the  seven  books,  and  there  is 
also  an  ornate  medalUon  page  in  colors  as  an  opening  to 
the  work  (fol.  la).  The  captions  to  the  various  sections 
in  the  different  poems  are  written  alternately  in  gold  and 
in  red.  One  special  page  (fol.  43a)  which  contains  a  ref- 
erence to  Majnun's  freeing  a  deer  from  a  hunter  because 
of  his  lovo  for  Laila  is  extra-iUuminated  with  gold  inter- 
lineations and  an  ornate  floral  border.  The  miniatures  in 
this  manuscript  are  seventeen  in  number  and  appear  to  be 
by  three  or  four  different  artists  in  the  general  style  of  the 
period;  that  on  fol.  171a  seems  to  show  traces  of  Indian 
influence,  which  is  not  the  case  with  the  others. 

I  {a)    fol.  I  a.   Ornamental  medallion  page. 

(6)    fol.  16.    Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Silsilat  adh-Dhahab. 


154 


PERSIAN  MANUSCRIPTS 


1  fol.  2ga.      Zahid  knocks  at  the  door  of  his  sweetheart  as 

she  is  entertaining  'Arif . 

2  fol.  37a.      The  wicked  man  and  the  woman  with  the  two 

skins  filled  with  melted  butter. 
II     (c)  fol.  sib.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  Saldmdn  and  Absdl. 

3  fol.  58a.     Salaman  and  Absal  playing  polo. 

III  (d)   fol.  666.      Illuminated  title-piece  to  Tuhfat  al-Ahrdr. 

IV  {e)    fol.  896.     Illuminated  title-piece  to  Suhhat  al-Abrdr. 

V    (/)   fol.  1276.     Illuminated  title-piece  to  Fw52// Zw/aiy^M. 

4  fol.  137a.    Zulaikha  dreams  of  Joseph  and  afterwards  tells 

her  attendants  the  story  of  her  love. 

5  fol.  153&.    In  order  to  tempt  Joseph,  Zulaikha  enthrones 

him  in  a  beautiful  garden  and  surrounds  him  with 
fair  damsels. 

6  fol.  161a.    The  Egyptian  ladies,  overcome  by  Joseph's 

beauty,  cut  their  fingers  instead  of  the  pome- 
granates which  they  are  peeling. 

7  fol.  171a.    Joseph  marries  Zulaikha  after  Potiphar's  death. 
VI    ig)   fol.  1 786.    Illuminated  title-piece  to  Laild  and  Majnun. 

8  fol.  197&.    King  Naufal  while  out  hunting  sees  the  love- 

distracted  Majnun  and  takes  pity  upon  him. 

9  fol.  2046.    The  Caliph  sends  for  Majnun,  who  comes  into 

his  presence. 

10  fol.  209&.    Majnun  becomes  a  hermit  in  the  wilderness 

after  hearing  of  Laila's  marriage. 

11  fol.  2176.    Laila  pays  a  visit  to  Majnun  in  the  desert. 

12  fol.  224a.    Laila's  cofiin  is  carried  to  burial. 

VII    (h)   fol.  2275.    Illuminated    title-piece    to  Khirad-ndmah-i 
Iskandan,  or  Book  of  Alexander. 

13  fol.  243&.    Iskandar,  or  Alexander  the  Great,  and  his 

Court. 

14  fol.  241b.   Alexander  and  the  foolish  sage. 

15  fol.  243^1.   Alexander  destroying  an  idol- temple. 

16  fol.  2486.   The  sage  alone  is  saved  when  the  boat  is 

wrecked,  as  he  lets  everything  go. 

17  fol.  2536.   Death  of  Alexander. 


TURKISH  MANUSCRIPTS 


Ornate  Lacquer  Binding 
Ms.  No.  21,  outside  of  cover  (see  page  160) 


VIII 

MlR  'ALT  SHIR  NAWA'I 


MIR  'ALL  SHiR  NAWAl 


(1441-1501  A.D.) 

Mir  *Ali  Shir  Nawa'i,  or  Nawa'i  for  short,  a  distinguished  poet  and 
eminent  man  of  affairs,  was  born  at  Herat,  February  9,  1441  (17 
Ramadan,  844  a.h.),  studied  at  Mashhad  and  at  Samarqand,  and  then 
returned  to  his  native  city,  where  honored  preferment  awaited  him  at 
the  court  of  the  ruling  sultan,  Husain  ibn  Baiqara,  to  whom  he  became 
grand  vizir.  Among  the  high  offices  of  trust  which  he  discharged 
was  that  of  Secretary  of  Finance,  and,  for  a  year,  the  Governorship 
of  Jurjan,  on  the  Caspian  Sea.  His  own  preference,  however,  was  for 
private  life,  into  which  he  finally  withdrew,  employing  his  large 
wealth  in  the  patronage  of  letters  and  in  charity,  as  well  as  devoting 
himself  to  writing  poetry,  an  occupation  that  appears  to  have  been 
ever  nearest  to  his  heart. 

Nawa'i's  poetical  works  in  Jaghata'I,  or  Eastern  Turkish,  entitle 
him  to  the  foremost  rank  among  Turkish  writers,  although  he  was  an 
equal  master  of  verse  in  Persian  as  well.  The  first  collection  of  his 
youthful  compositions  appears  to  have  been  made  by  his  admiring 
friend  Prince  Muhammad  Sultan,  who  died  in  1484  a.d.  (889  a.h.), 
and  his  works  in  all  comprise  nine  volumes  of  verse  and  twelve  of 
prose.  His  lyric  poems  show  strongly  the  influence  of  igafi?.  Nawa'i's 
death  occurred  in  his  sixtieth  year  at  Herat,  12  Jumada  II,  906 
A.H.  =  Jan.  3,  1 501  A.D. 

Consult  Rieu,  Catalogue  of  the  Turkish  Manuscripts  in  the  British  Museum^ 
p.  273,  London,  1888 ;  Rieu,  Cat,  Pers.  Mss.  Brit.  Mus.,  i.  366 ;  and  especially 
Gibbs,  History  of  Ottoman  Poetry ,  i.  127-129,  et  passim;  compare  also 
Berezin,  Beschreihung  der  turkisch-tatarischen  Handschriften  in  den  Peter sburger 
Bibliotheken,  in  Zt.  d.  deutsch.  Morgenldndischen  Gesellschaft,  2.  248-256, 
Leipzig,  1848 ;  Belin,  N-otice  sur  Mir  Ali-Chir-NevdU,  in  Journal  Asiatiqm, 
cinquieme  serie,  17  (1861),  p.  175-256,  281-357. 


159 


l6o  TURKISH  MANUSCRIPTS 

21 

Mir  'All  Shir  Nawa'i :  A  Diwan.^  This  very  valuable  manuscript, 
dated  1499-1500  a.d.,  contains  a  collection  of  lyric  poems 
in  Jaghata'i,  or  Eastern  Turkish,  by  Nawa'i,  and  was  copied 
during  the  author's  own  lifetime,  a  year  or  two  before  his 
death,  by  the  famous  calligraphist  'Ali  Mashhadi,  his  special 
protege.  The  manuscript  is  richly  illuminated  and  has 
fifteen  miniatures  besides  the  two  lacquer  paintings  on  the 
inside  of  the  covers. 

Size.  —  9I  X  6  in.  (24  X  15.1  cm.) ;  written  surface,  7J  X  4  in. 
(19.2  X  10.4  cm.).  FoHos  254,  the  first  and  the  last  leaf 
blank;  a  folio  is  missing  after  each  of  the  following:  fol. 
108,  148,  183,  226,  and  250. 

Binding.  —  Ornate  lacquer  binding  with  lacquer  paintings  on 
the  inside  of  the  covers,  the  manuscript  having  probably 
been  rebound  about  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
The  field  of  both  of  the  outer  covers  is  identical  and  has 
a  foHated  design,  chiefly  of  a  golden  yellow  color,  with 
a  sort  of  cruciform  medalHon  set  off  by  pendants  of  black 
and  gold,  the  entire  panel  being  then  framed  by  a  triple 
border  of  black,  red,  and  black,  ornamented  by  a  running 
flower  pattern.  The  inside  of  the  front  cover  (a)  has  a  lac- 
quer painting  presenting  a  scene  at  the  court  of  a  ruler 
before  whom  an  old  woman  makes  a  petition;  the  inner 
back  cover  {b)  gives  in  lacquer  a  scene  at  an  academy  of 
learning.  The  details  in  both  of  these  pictures  are  well 
worthy  of  observation.  When  the  manuscript  was  re- 
bound (as  already  noted),  the  edges  of  the  foHos  were  slightly 
trimmed  and  then  gilded. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  Exquisite  Nasta^iq  by  the  hand  of  the 
famous  'All  Mashhadi ;  the  writing  runs  1 5  lines  to  a  page 


Lacquer  Painting  on  a  Manuscript  Cover 
Ms.  No.  21,  inside  of  back  cover  (see  page  160) 


MIR  'ali  shir  nawa'i  i6i 

in  two  columns  separated  by  double  rulings  of  gold,  and 
heavily  bordered  by  lines  of  blue,  gold,  orange,  and  red. 
The  paper  is  a  fairly  Ught  laid  paper  of  regular  texture  and 
a  comparatively  high  finish,  with  somewhat  of  an  ivory 
shade,  the  written  part  of  the  page  being  dusted  with  gold 
so  as  to  lend  additional  elegance  to  the  copy. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  Both  the  name  of  the  scribe  and  the  date 
of  the  manuscript  are  given  in  the  colophon,  which  runs 
as  follows :  *  Written  by  the  poor  Sultan  'Ali  al-Mashhadi 
(may  his  sins  be  forgiven!)  in  the  year  nine  hundred  and  five 
[905  A.H.  =  1499-1500  A.D.]  at  the  capital,  Herat.' 

'All  Mashhadi,  v/ho  was  called  '  Sultan  '  from  his  mastery 
of  penmanship,  is  acknowledged  to  have  brought  the  art 
of  Nasta'liq  handwriting  to  its  highest  perfection,  and  he 
enjoyed  the  special  favor  and  protection  of  Nawa'i  as  a 
patron.  He  is  known  to  have  co-operated  with  the  famous 
miniaturist  Bahzad  in  preparing  a  royal  manuscript  of  the 
History  of  Tamerlane,  which  formed  a  part  of  the  collection 
of  works  in  the  library  of  the  Mughal  Emperor  Humayun 
and  which  afterwards  passed  into  the  possession  of  Akbar 
the  Great.  Mashhadi's  death  occurred  in  15 13  a.d.,  and  he 
was  buried  in  his  birthplace,  the  city  of  Mashhad.  For 
further  details  regarding  him  see  Huart,  Les  Calligraphes  et 
les  miniaturistes  de  V Orient  musulman,  p.  221-222  ;  likewise 
Sarre  and  Martin,  Meisterwerke  Muhammedanischer  Kunst^ 
I.  plates  23,  31,  Munich,  1912. 

Memorandums.  —  On  the  first  page  is  a  Persian  memorandum 
giving  the  title  of  the  book  and  noting  that  it  is  composed 
in  Turkish.  On  fol.  28a  is  another  Persian  memorandum 
in  badly  faded  ink,  saying :  This  book  is  the  property  of 
Muhammad  Nuyan ;  any  one  that  steals  or  sells  it  will  be 
arrested.'  The  miniatures  have  been  numbered  later  in 
Persian  figures  on  the  margins. 


l62 


TURKISH  MANUSCRIPTS 


Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  A  Diwan  of  Nawa'i,  containing  a 
collection  of  more  than  eight  hundred  ghazals,  or  odes,  to- 
gether with  some  other  short  poems,  gathered  into  a  group 
one  or  two  years  before  his  death,  and  arranged  as  follows  : 
I.  Ghazals  (8i6  in  number;  53  of  which  rime  in  Alif),  fol. 
3&-234&.  —  II.  Badd'i'  verses,  or  cunning  odes  (five  in  num- 
ber) ,  fol.  234^-23  7a.  —  III.  Tarjl^dtj  or  poems  with  a  refrain, 
fol.  237a-25oZ>.  —  IV.  Rubd'is,  or  quatrains  (33  in  number), 
together  with  three  hemistich  Fards,  fol.  250^-254^.^ 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  two  front  pages  are 
occupied  by  full-sized  illuminations  of  elaborate  design. 
There  are  ornate  caption-bands  to  each  of  the  eight  hundred 
and  more  odes  contained  in  the  book.  All  the  pages  are 
gold-besprinkled,  and  those  opposite  the  miniatures  are 
richly  set  off  by  gold  interlineations,  which  are  added 
likewise  in  the  text  above  and  below  the  paintings.  Besides 
the  two  illustrations  on  the  inside  of  the  lacquer  covers, 
described  above  under  ^  Binding,'  there  are  fifteen  fine  minia- 
tures to  illustrate  the  text.  These  miniatures  are  nearly 
of  full-page  size,  and  they  show  in  style  the  high  art  of  the 
Herat  school  at  the  time.  They  are  all  the  work  of  one 
artist,  but  no  name  is  given.  Their  subjects  are  conven- 
tional, chosen  to  match  the  special  theme  of  the  ode  that  is 
illustrated.  The  portrait  of  the  king  who  is  represented 
is  the  same  throughout,  with  the  exception  of  fol.  2b,  17&, 
125^3^,  2ogb.  It  is  possible  to  conjecture  that  the  younger 
ruler  represents  Sultan  Husain  Baiqara,  the  Timurid 

^  This  manuscript  bears  no  special  title-heading  to  show  which  of  the  four 
diwans  it  is,  into  which  the  poems  were  finally  grouped  before  the  poet's  death, 
and  it  has  no  preface,  but  it  has  the  same  beginning  as  one  of  the  diwans  of 
Nawa'iin  the  British  Museum  (Add.  7910)  described  by  Rieu,  Cat.  Turkish 
Mss.  Brit.  Mus.,  Add.  7910,  p.  296,  London,  1888,  the  opening  of  the  first 
ghazal  in  both  copies  being,  ^Jh.y^  ^^J^U^  yyJ^  ^) 


MIR  'aLI  shir  NAWA'i  1 63 

monarch  of  Khurasan,  to  whom  Nawa'i  was  minister. 
His  royal  consort  was  Khadijah  Begiim  Aqa ;  possibly  she 
is  represented,  as  indicated,  in  four  of  the  miniatures  noted 
below.  The  elder  king  (four  times  represented)  may 
possibly  be  Husain's  father,  Manstir.  These  miniatures, 
in  addition  to  the  lacquer  paintings,  are  as  follows:  — 


I  {a-i 

b)  fol.  ib-2a. 

Two  full  pages  illuminated  as  frontispieces. 

I 

fol.  2b. 

A  king  pronouncing  sentence;  his  son  is  stand- 

ing near  him. 

2 

fol.  3(Z. 

Convivial  scene  in  a  king's  harem. 

(c) 

fol.  sb. 

Illuminated  head-piece  to  the  collection  of 

poems. 

3 

fol.  I'jb. 

A  king  with  his  attendants  by  a  stream  in  a 

garden. 

4 

'  fol.  276. 

The  king  and  his  consort  enjo)dng  music  in  a 

garden. 

5 

fol.  51a. 

The  king  listening  to  a  court  poet. 

6 

fol.  74a. 

The  king  seated  beneath  a  tree  and  about  to 

partake  of  wine. 

7 

fol.  85a. 

A  scene  in  the  king's  royal  chamber. 

8 

fol.  loSa. 

The  king  and  his  consort  under  a  pavilion 

out  of  doors. 

9 

fol.  125a. 

A  king  under  a  pavilion  surrounded  by  his 

courtiers. 

10 

fol.  1416. 

The  king  out  riding  meets  with  his  consort 

and  her  handmaiden  on  horseback. 

II 

fol.  1536. 

The  king  and  his  son  listening  to  women 

musicians. 

12 

fol.  171a. 

A  levee  by  the  king  under  the  trees. 

13 

fol.  2096. 

Female  musicians  playing  before  a  king  and  his 

consort  in  their  tent. 

III  14 

fol.  2376. 

The  cupbearer  hands  wine  to  the  king. 

IS 

fol.  245a. 

The  king  giving  orders  to  his  officers  of  state. 

i64 


TURKISH  MANUSCRIPTS 


22 

Mir  'All  Shir  Nawa'i :  Second  Diwan,  entitled  Nawddir  ash- 
Shabdb,  or '  The  Choice  Things  of  Youth/  This  manuscript, 
belonging  to  the  last  quarter  of  the  sixteenth  century  (being 
dated  1580  a.d.),  and  written  in  Jaghata'i,  or  Eastern 
Turkish,  contains  a  collection  of  ghazals,  or  odes,  and  Other 
short  poems,  by  Nawa'i;  it  is  ornately  illuminated  and  is 
adorned  by  five  full-page  miniatures,  two  of  them  occupying 
the  front  and  the  last  page  respectively. 

Size.  —  lof  X  7  in.  (27.3  X  17.8  cm.) ;  written  surface,  6|  X  4 
in.  (17.6  X  10.2  cm.).  Folios  224;  a  folio  is  missing  after 
fol.  77,  133, 169 ;  not  however  after  fol.  201,  where  the  catch- 
word is  erroneously  taken  from  the  second  Hne  of  the  next 
page,  instead  of  from  the  first  Hne. 

Binding.  —  Rebound  in  the  original  Persian  flap-covers  of  dark 
leather  embelhshed  by  designs  after  the  style  of  the  period. 
Both  covers  are  identical  in  model.  The  pattern  and  colors 
are  best  preserved  on  the  flap,  which  coincides  precisely  with 
the  covers  in  design,  and  shows  a  panel  of  pressed  black 
leather  with  gold  stamping  and  tendril  pattern,  surrounding 
a  central  medallion  of  blue,  orange,  and  green,  forming 
a  pendulum  between  two  corresponding  smaller  pendants 
above  and  below,  offset  again  by  decorative  angles  at  the 
corners  of  the  field.  The  whole  is  bordered  by  a  framework 
of  panel-bands,  all  of  which,  like  the  other  patterns,  exhibit 
the  remains  of  filigree  work  finely  cut  out  of  the  leather, 
even  though  the  tooling  is  less  skilfully  done  than  in  some 
,of  the  bindings  already  described.  The  inner  cover  is 
overspread  with  a  plain  red  leather,  such  as  is  often  used  in 
Persian  bindings,  and  has  the  stitching  of  the  two  head- 
bands done  in  the  style  called  Shirazi. 


MIR  *ALI  SEOR  NAWA'i 


Writing  and  Paper.  —  The  writing  is  a  medium-sized  Nasta^liq, 
by  a  beautiful  hand,  14  Hnes  to  a  page  in  two  columns 
separated  by  a  heavy  bar  of  gold  and  green  with  a  running 
flower  design  in  black ;  the  border  lines  that  surround  the 
written  surface  are  of  green,  orange,  gold,  white,  and  blue. 
The  paper,  tinted  a  dull  pink  color,  is  of  a  laid  base  and  is 
somewhat  uneven  in  composition;  in  some  cases  the  laid 
marks  are  hardly  distinguishable. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  The  date  in  the  colophon  (where  the  title 
is  repeated  as  Nawddir  ash-Shabdh,  or  ^  Second  Diwan  ') 
is  fully  written  out  in  words  as  ^  nine  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight,'  i.e.  988  A.H.  =  1580  A.D.  The  scribe's  name  is 
added  as  '  Qasim  ^Ali  of  Shiraz.' 

Memorandums.  —  There  are  two  small  oval  seals  stamped  on  fol. 
224a ;  one  is  that  of  a  person  named  Musa,  but  the  other  has 
been  partly  destroyed  in  rebinding  and  cannot  be  deciphered. 
There  are  no  memorandums  except  some  unimportant 
pencil  jottings  of  numbers  recently  made  on  the  last  fly- 
leaf, and  some  marginal  notes,  in  ink,  of  the  Persian  equiva- 
lents for  Turkish  words  on  fol.  141a,  141^,  142&. 

Subject  and  Arrangement.  —  I.  Ghazals,  or  odes,  about  six 
hundred  in  number  (37  of  them  riming  in  Alif),  fol.  16- 
192a.  —  II.  Mustazdd,  or  distichs  with  a  supplement, 
fol.  192^-1 93a.  —  III.  Mukhammas,  or  quintuple  verses, 
fol.  193^-1 97a.  —  IV.  Sdqt-ndmah,  a  book  of  verses  on 
wine,  fol.  igja-20ia.  —  V.  Masnawts,  or  rimed  couplets, 
20ia-2o6b.  —  VI.  Muqatta'dt,  or  miscellaneous  short  frag- 
ments, 2o6b-2i^a.  —  VII.  Rubd'iydt,  or  quatrains,  213a- 
224a. 

Illuminations  and  Illustrations.  —  The  manuscript  is  sumptu- 
ously illuminated.  Besides  the  embellished  frontispiece 
and  a  half  dozen  smaller  title-bands,  there  are  also  two 
ornamental  framework  designs  with  floweret  wreaths  at  the 


i66 


TURKISH  MANUSCRIPTS 


beginning  of  each  of  the  six  hundred  odes ;  there  are  like- 
wise similar  ornamental  triangles  adorning  the  entire  series 
of  quatrains.  A  heavy  interlineation  of  gold  embellishes 
the  page  opposite  each  miniature.  The  miniatures  them- 
selves are  apparently  the  work  of  a  single  artist,  of  the 
Safavid  period,  but  not  named;  and  in  subject  they  rep- 
resent themes  referred  to  in  the  odes. 


1  fol.  I  a.  Out-of-door  scene  with  preparation  being  made 

for  a  noon-day  meal. 

I  (a)  fol.  lb.  Illuminated  title-piece  to  the  Ghazals. 

2  fol.  15&.  A  contest  of  skill  in  archery  on  horseback. 

3  fol.  59^>.  Hunting-scene. 

4  fol.  1 865.  A  tournament  at  arms. 

VII    5  fol.  22^b,  A  scene  of  conviviality  at  court. 


ARABIC  MANUSCRIPTS 


IX 


QUR'AN 


QUR'AN 


The  sacred  book  of  the  Muhammadan  religion,  containing  the  utter- 
ances of  the  Prophet  as  a  direct  revelation  from  Allah  through  the 
angel  Gabriel.  These  varied  discourses,  extending  over  a  period  of 
more  than  twenty  years  down  to  Muhammad's  death  in  632  a.d.,  are 
comprised  in  114  chapters,  called  surahs ,  of  different  lengths;  and 
they  are  arranged  in  general  according  to  the  length,  the  longest  first 
and  the  shortest  last,  and  not  according  to  the  subject-matter  or  the 
time  of  their  utterance.  Earliest  in  the  point  of  time  are  the  surahs 
delivered  at  Mecca,  between  610  and  622  a.d.  ;  those  which  were  de- 
livered at  Medina,  after  the  Flight  (Hijra)  in  622  a.d.,  form  a  later 
group. 

The  contents  of  the  Qur'an  may  briefly  be  summarized  as  com- 
prising Muhammad's  teachings  regarding  the  unity  of  God  and  the 
divine  nature  of  the  prophetic  mission,  the  doctrine  of  a  future  life, 
heaven  and  hell,  other  special  tenets  of  the  faith  and  rites  to  be 
observed  by  true  believers,  together  with  much  narrative  material 
of  a  didactic  character  drawn  from  antiquity. 

The  earliest  redaction  of  the  work  as  a  sacred  book  was  made  in 
633  A.D.,  a  year  after  Muhammad's  death,  by  his  secretary,  Zaid  ibn 
§abit,  at  the  command  of  the  Caliph  Abu  Bakr.  A  second  redaction 
was  made  nearly  twenty  years  later,  in  650  a.d.,  under  the  supervision 
of  the  same  scribe,  at  the  bidding  of  the  Caliph  Ogman;  and  this 
became  the  recognized  standard  of  the  canon. 

The  veneration  in  which  the  Qur'an  is  held  led  naturally  to  the 
bestowal  of  the  greatest  care  and  lavish  expense  on  the  preparation  of 
copies  of  the  text.  Religious  merit  was  believed  to  accrue  to  one  who 
transcribed  a  manuscript  of  it ;  and  even  kings  and  princes  showed 
their  religious  devotion  by  accomplishing  the  task,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
manuscript  described  below. 


171 


172  :      ARABIC  MANUSCRIPTS 

23-24 

Qur^an.  —  A  very  beautiful  and  interesting  copy  of  the  Qur'an 
bound  in  two  volumes  and  bearing  the  date  Fourth  of 
Ramadan  830  a.h.  =  June  29,  1427  a.d.  The  manuscript 
is  especially  valuable  because  it  was  copied  by  the  hand  of 
Ibrahim  Sultan,  the  grandson  of  Tamerlane,  and  passed 
down  through  the  line  of  the  Great  Mughal  Rulers,  as  it 
contains  a  long  memorandum  (given  below),  which  was  made 
more  than  two  centuries  later,  on  the  back  of  the  last  folio, 
by  the  Emperor  Aurangzib,  then  a  prince  in  his  twentieth 
year,  thus  showing  that  he  also  personally  used  this  copy. 

Size. — 8  X  si  (20-3  X  14.0  cm.) ;  written  surface,  5I  X  3J  in. 
(13.7  X  8.7  cm.).  Folios:  in  the  first  volume,  267  folios; 
in  the  second  volume,  268  folios.  This  latter  volume  begins 
five  verses  before  the  end  of  Surah  18,  entitled  The  Cave. 

Binding.  —  Rebound  in  old  Oriental  leather  covers  of  a  maroon 
color,  with  medallion  and  pendants  blind-pressed,  but  with 
no  special  ornamentation. 

Writing  and  Paper.  —  The  writing  is  a  very  elegant  Naskhi 
hand  which  does  full  credit  to  its  princely  copyist ;  and  the 
text  is  vocalized  throughout.  It  runs  10  lines  to  a  page 
and  is  inclosed  by  gold,  orange,  and  blue  rulings.  The 
blackness  of  the  ink  is  made  the  more  noticeable  by  the  rich 
gilding  between  the  lines,  while  all  the  chapter-titles  are 
written  in  a  blue  ink,  the  last  few  alternating  with  gold. 
The  punctuation  between  the  verses  is  marked  by  a  large 
gold  period.  There  are  also  numerous  rubrics  both  in  the 
body  of  the  text  and  on  the  margins,  as  well  as  marginal 
annotations  in  black  by  different  hands.  These  anno- 
tations, of  a  critical  and  technical  nature,  were  probably 
added  by  scholars  at  the  court  of  Shah  Rukh,  the  father  of 
Sultan  Ibrahim  Mirza,  after  the  prince  had  finished  copying 


A  King  listening  to  a  Court  Poe 
Ms.  No.  21,  fol.  51a  (see  page  163) 


qur'an 


173 


the  book,  because  the  illuminations  on  the  borders  were 
painted  after  the  notes  were  made,  as  is  proved  by  the  careful 
manner  in  which  they  are  traced  to  avoid  interfering  with 
the  writing.^ 

The  paper  in  both  volumes  is  of  the  same  quality,  medium 
in  weight,  and  has  a  dull  finish;  its  texture  has  become 
shghtly  brittle  with  the  lapse  of  time.  The  fly-leaves  are 
of  a  later  date  and  belong  to  the  time  when  the  two  volumes 
were  rebound. 

Date  and  Scribe.  —  Both  are  given  in  the  colophon  in  the  second 
volume  (vol.  2,  fol.  267a),  the  date  of  the  completion  being 
Ramadan  4,  830  a.h.  =  June  29,  1427.  The  scribe,  as 
already  stated,  was  a  grandson  of  Tamerlane  and  son  of 
Shah  Rukh,  and  gives  his  name  in  full  as  Ibrahim  Sultan 
bin  Shah  Rukh  bin  Timur  Gurgan.  This  Ibrahim  Sultan 
was  a  renowned  patron  of  letters,  and  under  his  personal 
supervision  was  prepared  the  well-known  history  of  his 
grandfather's  achievements,  entitled  the  Zafar-ndmah,  or 
*  Book  of  Tamerlane's  Victories/  which  was  compiled  by 
his  teacher  Sharaf  ad-Din  'Ali  Yazdi.  Ibrahim  was  famous 
for  his  six  different  styles  of  handwriting,  and  it  is  related 
that  a  specimen  of  his  penmanship  which  he  purposely 
signed  with  the  name  of  a  famous  calligraphist,  whose 
style  he  could  imitate,  was  so  perfect  that  it  was  taken 

^  The  nature  of  these  annotations  is  masoretic ;  they  consist  of  comments 
on  the  orthography  of  the  text,  variant  readings,  and  the  pauses  to  be  ob- 
served in  reciting  it ;  they  are  often  marked  with  a  letter  to  denote  the 
particular  Reader  (Qdri)  or  Traditionist  (Rdwi)  upon  whose  authority  they 
are  based.  A  list  of  these  ten  Readers  and  twenty  Traditionists  is  given  on 
the  last  folio  (fol.  268a)  of  the  second  volume  (compare  also  Noldeke, 
Geschichte  des  Qoran's,  pp.  287-298,  Gottingen,  i860).  The  Thirty  Divisions 
(Ajzd')  and  the  Sixty  Subdivisions  (Ahzdb),  into  which  the  Qur'an  is  divided 
for  convenience  in  recitation,  are  regularly  indicated  on  the  margin  in  red 
letters.  The  names  of  the  Surahs  are  marked  in  black  ink  in  a  minuscule 
hand  on  the  upper  left-hand  corner  of  the  folios. 


174 


ARABIC  MANUSCRIPTS 


for  an  original  and  was  sold  in  the  market-place  for  a  very 
high  price.  He  died  in  1430  or  143 1  a.d.,  about  six  years 
after  he  finished  transcribing  the  present  manuscript;  see 
also  Huart,  Les  Calligraphes  et  les  miniaturisteSj  p.  96-97 ; 
and  compare  Elliot,  History  of  India,  3.  391. 
Memorandums.  —  As  already  noted,  there  is,  on  the  back  of  the 
last  folio  of  the  second  volume,  a  memorandum  which  is  of 
the  greatest  interest  and  value,  as  it  is  by  the  hand  of  the 
Mughal  Emperor  Aurangzib,  then  a  prince  in  his  twentieth 
year,  or  more  than  two  centuries  after  the  manuscript  was 
written.  It  is  in  Arabic,  as  suited  to  the  language  of  the 
Qur'an,  though  in  the  Persian  style  of  handwriting ;  and  one 
of  the  court  artists  has  gilded  the  page  around  it.  The 
memorandum  reads  verbatim  as  follows :  — 

'  God  the  Most  High. 
In  His  Name  —  Praise  be  to  Him. 
This  Excellent  Book  and  Discourse,  which  speaks  the  truth, 
namely  the  Venerated  Qur'an,  the  Exalted  Scripture,  in  the  hand- 
writing of  the  grandson  of  the  greatest  of  the  sultans  of  time  and  the 
sublimest  of  the  kings  of  the  ages  [i.e.  in  the  handwriting  of  Tamerlane's 
grandson].  Sultan  Ibrahim,  son  of  Mirza  Shah  Rukh,  son  of  Amir 
Timur  Sahib  Qiran  ^  —  (may  [God]  cause  them  to  dwell  in  the  highest 
gardens  of  Paradise!)  —  which  book  has  been  intrusted  to  me,  and  the 
keeping  of  it  is  an  obligation  upon  me.  I  —  who  rely  upon  the 
assurance  of  His  universal  grace  and  upon  the  intercession  of  His 
Prophet,  when  He  shall  resuscitate  the  bones  and  rebuild  ( ?)  the  body 
(?)  —  am  Aurangzib,  the  son  of  the  sultan  of  sultans  and  most  just 
king  of  kings,  Shihab  ad-Din  Muhammad  Sa^ib  Qiran  the  Second, 
Shah  Jahan  the  Victorious  Emperor,^  may  his  kingdom  and  empire 
be  everlasting !    In  the  months  of  the  year  one  thousand  and  forty- 

*  These  last  four  words,  giving  Tamerlane's  name  as  a  help  towards 
understanding  the  long  titles,  are  added  by  Aurangzib  himself  in  the  margin. 

2  Aurangzib  adds  in  the  margin  the  words  '  Shah  Jahan  the  Victorious 
Emperor'  so  as  to  make  clearer  the  application  of  the  long  titles  in  his 
memorandum. 


qur'an 


175 


eight  from  the  Flight  of  the  Prophet  [i.e.  1048  a.h.  =  1638-1639  a.d.]. 
Upon  its  Lord  be  most  copious  blessings  and  benedictions! ' 

The  only  other  memorandum  is  of  a  later  date ;  .  it  is  on  the 
last  fly-leaf  and  consists  of  two  lines  of  a  prayer  in  Arabic 
invoking  the  blessing  of  God. 

Subject.  —  The  Qur'an,  or  Sacred  Book  of  Islam,  complete 
in  one  hundred  and  fourteen  Surahs  (chapters) .  Appended 
after  the  colophon,  and  still  in  the  same  hand  of  Sultan 
Ibrahim,  is  a  prayer  in  eleven  lines  (found  also  in  other 
copies  of  the  Qur'an)  to  be  repeated  after  reading  the  sacred 
book ;  it  begins,  *  O  Allah,  benefit  and  uplift  me,  etc' 
Following  this,  in  a  different  hand,  but  with  illumination 
around  it,  is  the  brief  list  of  the  ten  '  Readers  '  and  twenty 
'  Traditionists,'  as  explained  in  a  previous  footnote. 

Illuminations.  —  The  manuscript  is  ornately  illuminated  with 
two  introductory  medallions  (described  below),  three  rich 
title-pieces,  and  with  highly  decorated  borders.  These 
borders  have  delicate  foliated  designs  painted  in  gold ;  and 
thirty-one  of  them  have  extra  adornment  consisting  of  a 
very  artistic  flowered  pattern  traced  in  different  colors 
upon  a  background  of  gold.  The  main  details  as  to  the 
illuminations  are  as  follows :  — 

(a-b)  fol.  ib-2a.  Two  octagonal  rosette  medallions  illuminated 
with  gold  and  blue  designs  and  centered  in 
the  midst  of  foliated  ornamentations  which 
are  similar  to  the  general  decorations  of  the 
borders  throughout  the  manuscript.  Within 
these  medallions  is  inscribed,  in  white  ink,  the 
following  appropriate  quotation  from  the 
Qur'an  itself  (17.90):  'If  mankind  and  the 
genii  came  together  to  produce  the  like  of 
this  Qur'an,  they  could  not  produce  its  like, 
even  though  the  one  of  them  should  assist 
the  other.' 


ARABIC  MANUSCRIPTS 


Two  illuminated  full-page  titles  including  the 
opening  Surah  of  the  Qur'an. 

Illuminated  title-piece  for  the  second  Surah. 

Thirty-one  extra-illuminated  borders,  men- 
tioned above ;  these  are  found  at  the  places 
marking  the  majority  of  the  Divisions,  called 
Afezab ;  they  are  mostly  in  pairs  on"opposite 
pages,  and  occur  on  the  following  folios: 
First  volume,  fol.  19^,  2od,  546,  S5a,  906, 
91a,  143&,  144a,  178&,  179a,  213&,  214a,  247^, 
248(2. —  Second  volume,  fol.  i6b,  17a, 
51a,  856,  86a,  i2oa,  121ft,  1556,  156a,  191ft, 
225a,  228ft,  266ft,  267a,  267ft  (Prayer),  268^ 
(List  of  Readers  and  Traditionists). 


Arabic  Memorandum  in  the  Handwriting  of  the  Mughal 
Emperor  Aurangzib 
Ms.  No.  24,  fol.  2686  (see  page  174) 


INDEX 


INDEX 


In  the  alphabetic  arrangement  of  names  in  this  index  the  prefix  al-  has  been 
disregarded.  Dates  (a.d.)  are  given  whenever  possible  to  facilitate  identification. 
Names  of  works  are  printed  in  italics. 


*Abbasi,  Rida,  artist  (fl.  1640), 

xvii  n.,  xxiv 
*Abd  al-Karim  of  Khwarazm, 

scribe  (fl.  147s),  141 
*Abd  al-Qadir  of  Na'in,  author, 

84 

*Abd  ar-Rabim,  scribe  (fl.  1475), 
141 

*Abd  ar-Ratiman  of  Khwarazm, 

scribe  (fl.  1450),  141 
*Abd  ar-Rabman  Jami,  Maulana, 

author,  83 
Abkdr  al-Afkdfy  84,  86 
Abu'l  Faraj  ibn  al-Jauzi,  Shams 

ad-Din,  teacher  of  Sa'di,  loi, 

106 

Abu  Ishaq,  Shaikh,  of  Shiraz  (d. 

1357),  133;  134 
Abu'l  Ma'ali  'Abdallah,  author 

(d.  1130  or  1138),  85 
Abu  Sa'id,  Sultan,  143 
Adib  Sabir,  poet  (d.  1147),  84 
Af(Jal  ad-Dm  Kirmani,  author,  86 
Ahmad,  Qa(Ji,  scribe  (181 5),  80 
Alimad,  Sayyid  ( ?),  a  Murid,  no 
Abmad,  Sultan,  Turkish  ruler 

(1703),  owner,  55 


A^in  al-Quddt  of  Abu'l  Ma'all 
_*Abdallah,'85 

A  Hnah-i  Iskandart  of  Amir  Khus- 

rau,  122,  123 
Akbar  the  Great,  owner,  71,  73-75 
*Alam-gir,  name  of  the  emperor 

Aurangzib  (q.v.) 
*Ali  bin  Ahmad,  author,  104 
*Ali  al-Husaini,  Sayyid,  in 
*Ali  (al-)Mashhadi,  called  Sultan, 

scribe  (d.  1513), 61, 147, 160, 161 
*Ali   Naqi,   artist  (17th  cent.), 

xxiii,  34,  35,  36,  106 
Amir  Khusrau  of  Delhi,  author 

(d.  1325),  104,  119-123 
Amir  Ni?am,  owner  (1894),  31 
Anwari,  poet  (fl.  1175),  84 
Aqa  —  names    beginning  with 

Aqa  must  be  sought  under  one 

of  the  other  components 
A§ir  ad-Din  Akhsikati,  poet  (12th 

cent.),  86 
*Attar,  Farid  ad-Din,  author  (fl. 

1200),  83,  85,  86,  88,  89 
Au^iadi,  Rukn  ad-Din,  author  (d. 

1337),  84,  86 
Aurangzib,  Mughal  emperor,  109, 

no.  III,  112,  174-175 


179 


i8o 


INDEX 


A?har,  Maulana,  of  Herat,  scribe 

(d.  1475-6),  72 
A?har,  Maulana,  scribe  (1580), 

72,  74 

B 

Babar,  Shah  (d.  1457),  143 

Bada'i'  verses,  105,  162 

Baha'i,  Shaikh,  author  (d.  1620- 

i),  87 

Bahdristdn  of  Jami,  139 
Bahrdm-ndmah  of  Ni?ami,  see 

Haft  Paikar 
Bahzad,  artist  (fl.  1500),  63,  71, 

72-73,  77-79,  98,  161 

Baiqara,  Husain  Mirza  ibn, 
Sultan,  Timurid  ruler  (d.  1506), 
61,  147,  162-163 

Baisunghar  Preface  of  the  Shdh- 
ndmah,  32 

Bin  Shams  ad-Dln  Shaikh  Mu- 
hammad, scribe  (1669),  29,  30 

Blantyre,  Alex.  Lord,  owner,  76 

Bustdn  of  Sa'di,  xvii  n.,  86,  105, 
107,  108-115 

C 

Churchill,  Sidney  I.  A.,  owner,  50 
Cochran,  A.  S.,  donor  of  the  col- 
lection, xvii 

D 

Diwdn  of  IJafi?,  129-135 
Vlwdn  of  Jami,  140-145 
Diwdns  of  Mir  *Ali  Shir  Nawa'i, 
160-166 

F 

Fa^l  'All,  artist,  35,  36,  37,  38 
Fa(Jl  Allah,  of  Rai,  owner  (1908), 
147 


Fakhr  ad-Din  'Abd  a§-Samad,  133 
Fakhr  ad-Din  'Iraqi,  author  (d. 

1287  or  1289),  84,  85,  87 
Fakhr  ad-Din  Ra'is  Maljmud, 

author,  86 
Fardiyat  (Fards),  'detached  dis- 

tichs,'  105,  162 
Farhad,  son  of  the  Crown  Prince 

(1879),  IS 
Farid  ad-Din  al-Ahul,  author,  86 
Farid  ad-Din  'Attar,  author  (fl. 

1200),  83,  85,  86,  88,  89 
Fatih,  130 

Firdausi,  epic  poet  (fl.  1000),  5- 
44,  83,  84,  86,  89-90 

G 

Ghazals,  odes,  83, 84, 86, 130, 143, 

162,  165 
Ghulam  'Ali,  owner,  104 
Ghulam  Parmak,  artist,  35 
Gulandam,  author,  130 
Gulistdn  of  Sa'di,  85, 104,  106 

H 

Hadiqah  of  Sana'i,  84 
5afiz,  poet  (d.  1389?),  84,  127- 
135 

Haft  Aurang  of  Jami,  151- 154 
Haft  Paikar  of  Ni?ami,  47,  50,  52, 

55,  57,  63,  65-66,  68,  70,  71-79, 

84,  89 

IJasan  'Ali,  Amir  Ni?am,  owner 

(1894),  31 
3asan  Ghaznavi,  Sayyid,  author 

(nth  cent.),  86 
5asan  IJusam  ad-Din,  pupil  of 

Rumi,  98 


INDEX 


l8l 


^asan  ibn  al-lfusaini  Muham- 
mad, binder  or  scribe,  102-103 

^asan  ibn  Muhammad,  of  La- 
rissa,  scribe  (fl.  161 1),  103 

5asan  Qalandar,  Darvish,  author, 
83 

Hasht  Bahisht  of  Amir  Khusrau, 
122,  123 

Hidayat,  owner,  63 

Hidayat  Rida  Qui!  Khan,  lit.  his- 
torian (d.  187 1),  63 

Hilal,  Khwajah,  official  (1658),  76 

Hodson,  Laurence  W.,  owner,  50 

IJusain,  Aqa  (181 5),  80 

^usain  *Ali  Mirza,  son  of  Fath 
'All  Shah,  prince,  62 

5usain  Mirza  ibn  Baiqara,  Sultan^ 
Iimurid  ruler  (d.  1506),  61, 
147,  162-163 

IJusain  Mirza,  Shahzadah  Sultan, 
owner  (1884),  62 

I 

Ibn-i  Yamin,  poet  (d.  1344-5),  83 
Ibrahim  Sultan,  son  of  Shah 

Rukh,  prince  and  scribe  (d. 

1430-1),  172,  173-174,  175 
^Inaiat  Khan,  official  of  Shah 

Jahan  (d.  1666),  no 
Iqhdl-ndmah  of  Ni?ami,  part  of 

the  Iskandar-ndmah  (q.v.) 
^Iraqi,  Fakhr  ad-Din,  author  (d. 

1287  or  1289),  84,  85,  87 
Isfrangi,  Saif  ad-Din,  poet  (d. 

1267-8),  8s 
Iskandar-ndmah  of  Ni?ami,  48, 

SO,  52-53,  55,  57,  60,  63,  66-67, 

68,  70,  84,  89,  139 


Isma'il,  Shah,  Safavid  ruler  (d. 

1524),  62 
Isma'il  *A§im  ibn  Chalabi  Zadah, 

owner,  55 
I'timad  ad-Daulah,  Muhammad 

Amin  Khan  (d.  1721),  76  n. 
I'timad  Khan,  official  of  Shah 

Jahan,  75 
I'timad  Khan,  Sarmad,  author 

(d.  1660),  75  n. 

J 

Ja'far,  Aqa,  owner,  82 
Jahangir,  Mughal  emperor,  xxiv 
Jahangir  Khan  'Alamgir,  104 
Jalal  'Adud,  Sayyid,  author,  84 
Jalal   ad-Din   Rumi,   poet  (d. 

1273),  84,  85,  93-98 
Jamaji  Mobedi,  owner,  76 
Jami,  poet  (d.  1492),  86,  87,  90, 

139-154 

Jauzi,  Shams  ad-Din  Abu'l  Faraj 
ibnal-,  teacher  of  Sa'di,  loi,  106 

K 

Kamal  ad-Din  bin  Ibrahim,  scribe 

(1602),  15 
Kamal  ad-Din   Maljmud    .  .  . 

Rumi,  owner,  81 
Karim  Khan  Qanbarali,  owner, 

114 

Khadijah  Begum  Aqa,  wife  of 
Sultan  5usain  Baiqara,  163 

Khamsah  of  Amir  Khusrau,  120- 
123 

Khamsah  of  Ni?ami,  47,  49-70, 
82,  83 

Khaqani,  poet  (d.  1185),  86 


l82 


INDEX 


Khawatim,  *  signet-ring  '  poems, 
105 

Khirad-ndmah-i  Iskandart,  poem 

of  Jami,  139,  153,  154 
Khirad-ndmah-i  Iskandari,  poem 

of    Nizami,      part    of  the 

I skandar-ndmah  (q.v.) 
Khusrau  u  Shirin  of  Ni^aml,  47, 

50,  51,  55,  56,  60,  63,  64-65,  68, 

69,  84,  88 
Khwajah  Hilal,  official  (1658),  76 
Khwajah  Qiwam  ad-Dln,  vizir 

(d.  1363),  127,  130 
Khwajah  Shihab  (1647),  i^^,  113 
Khwajah  Turan  Shah,  vizir  (d. 

1385),  130,  135 
Kitdb-i  I  skandar-ndmah  of  Ni- 
zami, see  I  skandar-ndmah 
Koran,  see  Qur^dn 

L 

Lachin,  artist,  122,  123 
Laild  u  Majnun  of  JamT,  139, 153, 
154 

Laild  u  Majnun  of  Ni?ami,  47,  50, 
51-52,  55,  56-57,  60,  63,  65,  68, 
69-70,  84,  89,  139 

Lama^dt  of  'Iraqi,  85 

M 

Maghribi,  Muhammad  Shirin,  of 
Na'in,  poet  (d.  1406),  84 

Mahdi  Quli,  '  servant '  of  Shah 
IJamzah,  150 

Mahdi  Quli  Mirza,  donor  of  a  MS. 

(1843),  96 
Matimud,  artist  (i6th  cent.),  105 
Mahmud,  Sultan,  of  Ghazna  (d. 

1030),  132,  134 


Mahmud  of  Nishapur,  scribe  (d, 

about  1545),  61-62,  66 
Mahmud,   Shaikh-zadah,  artist 

(1539),  xviii,  106 
Mahmud   Murtacja  al-Qusaini, 

scribe  (141 1),  81 
Majnun  u  Laild  of  Amir  Khusrau, 

122,  123 

Makhzan  al-Asrdr  of  Ni?ami,  47, 

50,  51,  53-54,  55,  56,  59,  63,  64, 

67,  68,  69,  84,  88 
Man§ur  ibn  Muhammad,  of  Shi- 

raz,  130,  134 
Man§ur  Mu?affar,  Shah  (d.  1392), 

130,  133 

Mantiq  at-Tair  of  *  Attar,  83,  85, 
89 

Marg'iyat  (Mar§iyyahs),  elegies, 
105,  143 

Martin,  F.  R.,  quoted,  xxii,  58, 

62,  72,  78 
Mashhadi,  *Ali  (al-),  scribe  (d. 

1513),  61,  147,  160,  161 
Mashriqi,  author,  87 
Masnawl  of  Jalal  ad-Din  Rtimi, 

84,  85,  94,  95-98 
Magnawis,  rimed  couplets,  130, 

Matla^  al- Anwar  of  Amir  Khus- 
rau, 122 

Mir  'All  al-Husaini,  scribe  (1524), 

xviii  n.,  146-147 
Mir  *Ali  Shir  Nawa'i,  Turkish 

poet  (d.  1501),  64,  159-166 
Mir  Ka?im  (17 10),  150 
Mir  Salman  Khan  Saman,  owner, 

76 

Mirak,  artist  (1525),  58,  63-64 


s 


INDEX 


183 


Mu'ammayat,  enigmas,  143 
Mu^hikat,  facetiae,  105 
Mughannl-ndmah  of  5afiz,  130 
Muhammad  of  Sabzavar,  called 

Shah,  scribe  (1587-8),  9 
Muhammad,  Sultan,  of  Golkonda, 

owner  (1795),  150 
Muhammad   'All,    Murshid  of 

Shah  Jahan,  no 
Muhammad  Amin,  Mulla,  scribe 

(17th  cent.),  121 
Muhammad  AmIn  Khan,  I'timad 

ad-Daulah  (d.  1721),  76  n. 
Muhammad  Farrukh  Mir  .  .  . 

Zain  al-'Abidin,  owner,  153 
Muhammad  Hashim  bin  Husain 

al-Husaim,  owner  (1835?),  31 
Muhammad  IJusain,  scribe  (fl. 

1600),  22  n. 
Muhammad  EEusain,  Aqa  (181 5), 

80 

Muhammad  Husain  ibn  Mu- 
hammad Ibrahim,  owner,  49 

Muhammad  ibn  'All,  130,  135 

Muhammad  ibn  Mulla  Mir  al- 
IJusaim,  scribe  (1608),  22 

Muhammad  Man§ur  (1647),  112 

Muhammad  Nur,  called  Sultan, 
scribe  (1525),  60,  61 

Muhammad  Ntiyan,  owner,  161 

Muhammad,  Payandah,  scribe 
(1647),  109 

Muhammad  Qiwam  of  Shiraz, 
scribe  (1556),  149 

Muhammad  Quli,  Qutb  Shah  of 
Golkonda,  owner,  150 

Muhammad  Rabi*  Sahib,  Aqa, 
donor  of  a  MS.  (1764),  152 


Muhammad  Sadiq,  owner,  104 
Muljammad  Saif  ad-Din,  owner 

(1785),  9 
Muhammad  Salim,  artist,  121, 
122,  123 

Muhammad  Shah,  Persian  ruler 

(1844),  96 
Muhammad  Shirin  Maghribi  of 

Na'in,  poet  (d.  1406),  84 
Muhib   *Ali,  official  of  Akbar, 

74 

Mukhammas,  quintuple  verses, 
130,  165 

Mun'im  Beg  (1658),  113 

Mun'im  Khan,  minister  of  Akbar, 
donor  of  a  MS.  (1580),  73,  74 

Mun'im  Shaikh,  poet-soldier 
(1659),  113 

Muqatta'at,  fragmentary  poems, 
130-131,  143,  165 

Musa,  owner,  165 

Mustazad,  distichs  with  supple- 
ment, 165 

Mutayyibat, '  jocular  poems,'  105 

N 

Na'im  ad-Din,  scribe  (15 10),  54 
Nan  u  Halwd  of  Shaikh  Baha'i, 
87 

Nasir  Khusrau,  author  (fl.  1050), 

84,  86 
Natd'ij  al-Afkdr,  83,  87 
Nawddir  ash-Shabdb  of  Mir  'Ali 

Shir  Nawa'i,  164-166 
Nawa'i,  Mir  /Ali  Shir,  Turkish 

poet  (d.  1501),  64,  159-166 
Nisdb  as-Sibidn,  84 
Ni?ami,  poet  (d.  1203),  47-90?  119 


i84  : 

Nur  Muhammad  9usain,  Aqa, 

merchant  (1894),  31 
Nu§rat  ad-Din  Yahya,  of  Shiraz, 

130,  135 

Nuyan,  Aqa,  artist  (17th  cent.), 
30,  31,  34,  36 

O 

Omar  Khayyam,  see  'Umar 
P 

Panj  Ganj  of  Ni?ami,  see  Kham- 

sah 

Parmak,  Ghulam,  artist,  35 
Payandah    Muhammad,  scribe 
(1647),  109 

Q 

Qa(Ji  Ahmad,  scribe  (181 5),  80 
Qamari,  Saraj  ad-Din,  Maulana, 

author,  84,  86 
Qa§idahs,  panegyrics,  83,  84,  105, 

107,  130,  143 
Qasim  *Ali  of  Shiraz,  scribe  (1580), 

Qiwam,  Muhammad,  of  Shiraz, 

scribe  (1556),  149 
Qiwam  ad-Din,  Khwajah,  vizir 

(d:i363),  127,  130 
Qur'dn,  1 71-176 

R 

Rafi'  ad-Din  Abhari,  author,  86 
Raushana'i-ndmah  of  Na§ir  Khus- 

rau,  84,  86 
Rida,  owner,  149 
Rida  'Abbasi,  artist  (fl.  1640), 

xvii  n.,  xxiv 


INDEX 

Risalahs  of  Sa'di,  104 
Ruba'is  (Ruba'iyat),  quatrains, 

83,  87,  105,  131,  143,  162,  165 
Rukn  ad-Din  Auhadi,  author  (d. 

1337),  84,  86 
Rumi,  Jalal  ad-Din,  poet  (d. 
1273),  84,  85,  93-98 

S 

Sa'd  ad-Din,  Maulana,  of  Kash- 

ghar  (d.  1455),  143 
Sa'd  bin  Zangi,  Atabek  of  Fars 

(d.  1226),  loi,  106 
Sa'di,  author  (d.  1291),  xvii  n., 

84,  85,  86,  90,  loi-iis 
Sahib-Diwan,  Shams  ad-Din,  105 
Sahibiyyah,  epigrammatic  poems, 

105 

Saif  ad-Din  Isfrangi,  poet  (d. 

1267-8),  85 
Saldmdn  u  Ahsdl  of  Jami,  153, 
154 

SaUh,  owner  (1763-4),  68 
Salih,  Murshid  of  Shah  Jahan, 
no 

Salim,  Muhammad,  artist,  121, 
122,  123 

Salman  of  Sawah,  Maulana,  poet 

(d.  about  1376),  84,  85 
Sana'i,  poet  (fl.  1131),  84 
Sdqt-ndmah  of  Mashriqi,  87 
Sdql-ndmah  of   Mir   *Ali  Shir 

Nawa'i,  165 
Saraj  ad-Din  Qamari,  Maulana, 

-author,  84,  86 
Sarmad  I'timad  Khan,  author 

(d.  1660),  75  n. 
Shafi',  owner,  130 


INDEX 


Shah  Isma'll,  Safavid  ruler  (d. 

1524),  62 
Shah  Jahan,  Mughal  emperor, 

xxiv,  30,  71,  75,  76,  109,  no 
Shah  Man§ur  Muzaffar  (d.  1392), 

130,  133 

Shah  Mutiammad  of  Sabzavar, 

scribe  (1587-8),  9 
Shdh-ndmah  of  Firdausi,  5-44,  83? 

84,  86,  89-90 
Shah  Rukh,  owner,  122 
Shah  Shuja'  of  Shiraz  (d.  1384), 

130,  134,  135 
Shah  Tay5db,  prince  and  poet 

(17th  cent.),  30  n. 
Shahzadah  Sultan  IJusain  MlrzS, 

owner  (1844),  62 
Shaikh-zadah    Mahmud,  artist 

(1539),  xviii  n.,  106 
Shams  ad-Din  Abu'l  Faraj  ibn 

al-Jauzi,  teacher  of  Sa'di,  loi, 

106 

Shams  ad-Din,  Sahib-Diwan,  105 
Shams  ad-Din,  Bin,  Shaikh  Mu- 

Ijammad,  scribe  (1669),  29,  30 
Sharaf  ad-Din  ^Ali  Yazdi,  author 

(d.  1454),  173 
Sharaf  ad-Dln  Bukhari,  Mulla, 

author  (1303),  86 
Sharaf-ndmah  of  Nizami,  part  of 

the  Iskandar-ndmah  (q.v.) 
Shihab,  Khwajah  (1647),  112, 113 
Shihab  ad-Din  Ahmad  Talish, 

author  (1662),  112 
Shirin  u  Khusrau  of  Amir  Khus- 

rau,  122-123 
Shuja',  Shah,  of  Shiraz  (d.  1384), 

130,  134,  135 


Shukr  Khan,  owner,  in 
Silsilat  adh-Dhahab  of  Jami,  153- 
■154 

Smith,  R.  Murdock,  quoted,  146- 
147 

Stuart,  Chas.,  owner  (Calcutta, 

1766),  76 
Subhat  al-Abrdr  of  Jami,  153 
Sultan  Ahmad,  Turkish  ruler, 

owner  (1703),  55 
Sultan  ^usain  Mirza  ibn  Baiqara, 

Timurid  ruler  (d.  1506),  61, 

147,  162-163 
Sultan  Muhammad  Nur,  scribe 

(1525),  60,  61 
Sultan  Ya'qub,  Turkoman  ruler, 
141 

T 

Tamerlane  (d.  1405),  130 
Tarji'at   (Tarji'-band),  '  refrain 

poems,'  83,  105,  130,  143,  162 
Tarkib-bands,  strophe-poems,  143 
Tawdrikh-i  Nizam,  83 
Tay)db,  Shah,  prince  and  poet 

(17th  cent.),  30  n. 
Tdiyyih  Khan,  official,  30 
Tayyibat,  '  pleasant  odes,'  105 
Timur  Lang  (Tamerlane),  Amir 

(d.  1405),  130 
Tuhfat  al-Ahrdr  of  Jami,  153 
Turan  Shah,  Khwajah,  vizir  (d. 

1385),  i3o»  135 

U 

*Umar   Kliayyam,  astronomer- 
poet  (d.  1123),  83,  87 
^Ushshdq-ndmah  of  'Iraqi,  87 


l86  : 
V 

Valentiner,  W.  R.,  quoted,  xxii, 

50-51,  77  - 

Y 

Yahya  ibn  Mu?affar,  ruler  of 
Shiraz  (d.  1430),  130,  134 

Yamin,  Ibn  i-,  poet  (d.  1344-5), 
83 

Ya'qub,  Sultan,  Turkoman  ruler, 
141 


Yunis,  Shah  Zadah,  9 
Yusuf  u  Zulaikhd  of  Jami,  86, 139, 
145-151,  153,  154 

Z 

Zain  al-*Abidin,  owner  (1776), 
150 

Zangi,  Sa'd  bin,  Atabek  of  Fars 

(d.  1226),  loi,  106 
Zarin  Qalam,  title  of  Muhammad 

lJusain,  scribe  (fl.  1600),  22  n. 


LIST  OF  SCRIBES  AND  ARTISTS 

This  list  includes  not  merely  the  calligraphists  and  miniaturists  represented  in 
the  manuscripts  of  the  collection,  but  also  those  incidentally  referred  to  in  this 
volume.   For  page  references  and  further  details  see  the  Index. 

Scribes 


*Abd  al-Karim  of  Khwarazm 
*Abd  ar-Rahim 

*Abd  ar-Rahman  of  Khwarazm 
Ahmad,  Qa(Ji 

*Ali  (al-)Mashhadi,  called  Sultan 
A?har,  Maulana,  of  Herat  (d. 

1475-6) 

A?har,  Maulana  (1580) 

Hasan  ibn  al-Husaini  Muham- 
mad (binder  ?) 

Hasan  ibn  Muhammad,  of  La- 
rissa 

Ibrahim  Sultan,  son  of  Shah 
Rukh 

Kamal  ad-Din  bin  Ibrahim 
Mahmud  of  Nishapur 


Mabmud  Murta(}a  al-3usainl 
Mir  'All  al-IJusaini 
Muhammad  of  Sabzavar,  called 
Shah 

Muhammad  Amin,  MuUa 
Muhammad  ELusain,  called  Zarin 
Qalam 

Muhammad  ibn  Mulla  Mir  al- 
Husaini 

Muhammad  Nur,  called  Sultan 
Muhammad  Qiwam  of  Shiraz 
Na'im  ad-Din 
Payandah  Muhammad 
Qasim  *Ali  of  Shiraz 
Shams  ad-Din,  Bin,  Shaikh  Mu- 
hammad 


Artists 

'Ali  Naqi  Mirak 

Bahzad  Muhammad  Salim 

Fadl  *Ali  Nuyan,  Aqa 

Ghulam  Parmak  Ri(}a  'Abbasi 

Lachin  Shaikh-zadah  Ma^unud 

Mahmud 

187 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY 

INDO-IRANIAN  SERIES 

Edited  by  A.  V.  Williams  Jackson 
Professor  of  Indo-Iranian  Languages  in  Columbia  University 


Volume  I.  A  Catalogue  of  the  Collection  of  Persian 
Manuscripts  (including  also  some  Turkish  and  Arabic)  pre- 
sented to  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  New  York,  by 
Alexander  Smith  Cochran,  prepared  and  edited  by  A.  V. 
Williams  Jackson  and  Abraham  Yohannan,  Ph.D.  New 
York,  1914.  Cloth,  8vo,  pp.  xocd-\-i87,  ill.,  $1.50  net 

The  collection  of  Oriental  manuscripts  catalogued  in  this  volume  was 
presented  to  the  Metropolitan  Museum  in  March,  1913.  All  of  the  manu- 
scripts, a  number  of  which  are  in  certain  respects  unique,  are  handsomely 
illuminated  and  adorned  with  beautiful  miniatures.  The  catalogue  records 
the  technical  details,  as  well  as  matters  of  literary  and  historic  importance 
connected  with  the  volumes. 

Volume  2.  Indo-Iranian  Phonology,  with  special  refer- 
ence to  the  Middle  and  New  Indo-Iranian  languages,  by 
Louis  H.  Gray,  Ph.D.,  sometime  Fellow  in  Indo-Iranian 
Languages  in  Columbia  University.    New  York,  1902. 

Cloth^  8vOf  pp.  xvii  +  264,  $1.50  net 

A  brief  statement  of  the  phonetic  developments  undergone  by  the  prin- 
cipal Indo-Iranian  languages  from  the  Sanskrit,  Avestan,  and  Old  Persian 
through  the  Pali,  the  Prakrits,  and  Pahlavi  down  to  the  Hindi,  Singhalese, 
New  Persian,  Afghan,  and  other  Indo-Iranian  dialects. 

Volumes.  A  Bibliography  of  the  Sanskrit  Drama,  with 
an  introductory  sketch  of  the  dramatic  literature  of  India,  by 
Montgomery  Schuyler,  Jr.,  A.M.,  sometime  Fellow  in 
Indo-Iranian  Languages  in  Columbia  University.  New  York, 
190^-  Cloth,  8vo,  pp.  xi-\- 105,  $1.50  net 

The  design  of  this  bibliography  is  to  give  as  complete  a  list  as  possible 
of  all  printed  and  manuscript  Sanskrit  plays  and  of  articles  and  works  re- 
lating to  the  Hindu  drama.  The  introduction  furnishes  a  convenient  epit- 
ome of  the  whole  subject. 


2 


Volume  4.  An  Index  Verborum  of  the  Fragments  of  the 
Avesta,  by  Montgomery  Schuyler,  Jr.,  A.M.  New  York, 
1901.  Cloth.  8vOf  pp.  xiv-\- 106,  $1.50  net 

This  index  collects  and  cites  all  examples  of  each  word  found  in  the 
hitherto  discovered  fragments  not  included  in  Geldner's  edition  of  the 
Avesta. 

Volume  5.  Sayings  of  Buddha :  the  Iti-vuttaka,  a  Pali 
work  of  the  Buddhist  canon,  for  the  first  time  translated,  with 
introduction  and  notes,  by  Justin  Hartley  Moore,  A.M., 
Ph.D.  (Columbia),  Instructor  in  French  in  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York.    New  York,  1908. 

Cloth^  8vo,  pp.  xx-i- 140,  $i.jo  net 

This  volume  presents  a  Buddhistic  work  not  hitherto  accessible  in  trans- 
lation. The  introduction  treats  of  the  composition  and  general  character 
of  the  work,  the  authenticity  of  certain  of  its  sections,  and  the  chief  features 
of  its  style  and  language. 

Volume  6.  The    Nyaishes,  or    Zoroastrian  Litanies. 

Avestan  text  with  the  Pahlavi,  Sanskrit,  Persian,  and  Gujarati 
versions,  edited  together  and  translated  with  notes,  by 
Maneckji  Nusservan^i  Dhalla,  A.M.,  Ph.D.  (Khordah 
Avesta,  Part  I.)    New  York,  1908. 

Cloth ^  8vOf  pp.  xxii  +  235,  $1.50  net 

The  Pahlavi  text,  here  edited  and  translated  for  the  first  time,  is  the  result 
of  a  collation  of  seventeen  manuscripts  and  forms  an  addition  to  the  exist- 
ing fiind  of  Pahlavi  literature.  The  introduction  gives  an  account  of  the 
MS.  material  and  discusses  the  relation  of  the  various  versions,  their  char- 
acteristics, and  their  value. 

Volume  7.  The  Dasarupa,  a  treatise  on  Hindu  dramaturgy 
by  Dhanamjaya,  now  first  translated  from  the  Sanskrit,  with 
the  text  and  an  introduction  and  notes,  by  George  C.  O. 
Haas,  A.M.,  Ph.D.,  sometime  Fellow  in  Indo-Iranian  Lan- 
guages in  Columbia  University.    New  York,  19 12. 

Cloth,  8vo,  pp.  xlv  -f  i6q,  $1.50  net 

This  work,  composed  at  the  court  of  King  Munja  of  Malava  in  the  last 
quarter  of  the  tenth  century,  is  one  of  the  three  most  important  treatises  on 
the  canons  of  dramatic  composition  in  India.  The  translation  here  pre- 
sented is  prefaced  by  an  introduction  dealing  chiefly  with  the  style  and 
characteristics  of  the  work  and  its  native  commentary.  The  notes  include, 
as  a  special  feature,  references  to  parallel  passages  in  all  available  Hindu 
dramaturgic  and  rhetorical  treatises. 


3 


Volume  8,  Vasavadatta,  a  Sanskrit  Romance  by  Su- 
bandhu,  translated,  with  an  introduction  and  notes,  by  Louis 
H.  Gray,  Ph.D.    New  York,  1913. 

Cloth,  8vo,  pp.  xiii-\-2i4,  $1.50  net 

This  romance  is  one  of  the  best  examples  of  the  artificial  and  ornate  style 
in  Sanskrit  prose.  Besides  the  translation,  the  volume  contains  also  the 
transliterated  text  of  the  South  Indian  recension,  which  differs  to  a  note- 
worthy degree  from  that  of  Hall,  and  a  bibliography.  The  relation  of  the 
Sanskrit  romance  to  the  Occidental,  especially  the  Greek,  is  discussed  in  the 
introduction,  and  the  notes  include  parallels  of  incident  in  modern  Indian 
and  other  folk-tales,  as  well  as  points  of  resemblance  with  other  Sanskrit 
romances. 


VOLUMES  IN  PREPARATION 

The  Sanskrit  Poems  of  Mayura,  edited  with  a  translation 
and  notes  and  an  introduction,  together  with  Bana's  Candi- 
sataka  and  Manatuhga's  Bhaktamarastotra,  by  G.  Payn 
QuACKENBOS,  A.M.,  Instructor  in  Latin,  College  of  the  City 
of  New  York. 

This  volume  presents  the  works  of  a  Sanskrit  poet  of  the  seventh  cen- 
tury. Besides  the  Siirya^ataka  it  includes  also  the  Mayurastaka,  printed 
for  the  first  time  from  the  unique  birch-bark  MS.  in  the  Tubingen  Uniyer- 
sity  Library.  The  introduction  gives  an  account  of  Mayura's  life  and 
works,  and  the  appendixes  contain  the  text  and  translation  of  the  sup- 
posedly rival  poems  by  Bana  and  Manatunga. 

Priyadariika,  a  Hindu  Drama  ascribed  to  King  Harsha, 
translated  from  the  Sanskrit  and  Prakrit  by  G.  K.  Nariman 
and  A.  V.  Williams  Jackson,  with  notes  and  an  introduction 
by  the  latter. 

This  romantic  drama  on  the  adventures  of  a  lost  princess  was  supposedly 
written  by  Harsha,  king  of  Northern  India  in  the  seventh  century,  and  is 
now  to  be  published  for  the  first  time  in  English  translation.  Besides 
giving  an  account  of  the  life  and  times  of  the  author,  the  introduction  will 
deal  also  with  the  literary,  linguistic,  and  archaeological  aspects  of  the  play. 


4 


Yashts,  or  Hymns  of  Praise,  from  the  Khordah  Avesta : 
Avestan  text  with  the  Pahlavi,  Sanskrit,  Persian,  and  Gujarati 
versions,  edited  together  and  translated,  with  notes,  by 
Maneckji  Nusservanji  Dhalla,  A.m.,  Ph.D. 

This  volume  is  a  continuation  of  the  edition  of  the  Khordah  Avesta  be- 
gun with  the  Nyaishes  in  volume  6  of  the  series  and  will  be  uniform  with 
that  volume  in  plan  and  arrangement. 

A  Sanskrit  Grammar  for  Beginners.  With  graded  exer- 
cises, notes,  and  vocabulary.    By  A.  V.  Williams  Jackson. 

The  aim  of  this  work  is  a  practical  one ;  it  is  designed  to  furnish  a  book 
for  the  study  of  the  classical  Sanskrit  in  American  and  English  colleges 
and  universities. 


The  following  volume  ^  not  in  the  Indo-Iranian  Series^ 
is  also  published  by  the  Columbia  University  Press : 

Zoroaster,  the  Prophet  of  Ancient  Iran.  By  A.  V.  Wil- 
liams Jackson.    New  York,  1899. 


This  work  aims  to  collect  in  one  volume  all  that  is  known  about  the 
great  Iranian  prophet.  The  story  of  the  life  and  ministry  of  Zoroaster  is 
told  in  twelve  chapters,  and  these  are  followed  by  appendixes  on  explana- 
tions of  Zoroaster's  name,  the  date  of  the  Prophet,  Zoroastrian  chronology, 
Zoroaster's  native  place  and  the  scene  of  his  ministry,  and  classical  and 
other  passages  mentioning  his  name.  A  map  and  three  illustrations  ac- 
company the  volume. 


Cloihy  Svo,  pp.  xxiii  +  Ji^,  $3.00  net 


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